517: Pharaoh Was a Servant-Leader, Part 3

It's time to wrap up our look at Joseph's Pharaoh, who was himself a great leader. I maintain that he was a servant-leader extraordinaire, for he served Joseph, his nation and the vision God gave him for the future.  Under Pharaoh's leadership, Joseph was promoted, the impact of the famine lessened, and God's plan for Israel furthered in the process.  All in all, I say that qualifies Pharaoh for special status in any study of leadership.

Let's wrap up by looking at the final five lessons we can learn from Pharaoh's leadership style.  (If you missed the first ten lessons, you can catch up with them here.)

THE LAST FIVE LESSONS

11. Pharaoh used his power to empower the right people. All leaders have power. What distinguishes a good from a great or bad leader is how that power is used. Pharaoh used his power to empower Joseph to do the job that God had gifted him to do. Peter Drucker, father of modern management studies, stated that the job of management is to find out what management is doing that prevents others from doing their job - and then to stop doing it. Pharaoh used his power correctly; he used it to help his team get the job done.

12. Pharaoh approved the plan and let Joseph carry it out. Pharaoh listened to Joseph’s strategy and then approved it. With his stamp of approval, he then let Joseph do it with a minimum of input or interference. Pharaoh did not micromanage or set up a bureaucracy that slowed things down.  He did not interrupt Joseph in his work.  I worked for a pastor once who interfered regularly in the work he hired me to do.  One day I told him, "You have great patience for people I have to oversee and work with."  In other words, I was telling him nicely to let me do my job and choose my team. Do you need to be told the same thing?  Do you need to tell that to someone over you?

13. Pharaoh gave Joseph an unlimited travel budget. The Bible states that Joseph traveled throughout Egypt; he had freedom of movement to get his job done (see Genesis 41:46). If you want to empower your team, let them travel. Give them freedom of movement to go see and learn what they need to get the job done. I am not referring to first class travel to exotic places, but instead trips with purpose to benchmark and observe best practices wherever they may be found. This may be onsite visits or conferences that feature world-class teaching and instruction. If you want the best, let them go and learn from the best.

14. Pharaoh was concerned for Joseph’s personal life. Pharaoh found a wife for Joseph and then helped him take care of Jacob and his brothers when they came to Egypt. Pharaoh made sure that Joseph shared in the wealth and blessing that was within Pharaoh’s power to bestow. Pharaoh also made sure that Joseph had a life outside his work position and gave him land and money to go with it.

15. Pharaoh stayed in touch with reality but let Joseph do his job. When the famine arrived, the people cried out to Pharaoh – but Pharaoh sent them to Joseph and told them to do whatever Joseph directed them to do. Wouldn’t everyone like to have a boss or supervisor like that?  Pharaoh was not enamored with the sound of his own name called out by his people. He stayed focused and let his team do the job, and his judgment was vindicated, over and over again.

CONCLUSIONS

Pharaoh was rewarded well for his exceptional leadership skills. His country was saved from oblivion and suffering. He actually increased his power and position during the famine, because Joseph successfully leveraged their supply of food and seed for land and a future return on their investment. Pharaoh secured a place in history as a good leader, in contrast to his counterpart who wielded heavy-handed, authoritarian control during the time of Moses.  Moses’ Pharaoh was such a bad leader that he allowed his personal pride and blindness to ruin his country for many centuries to come.

What kind of leader do you want to be? I hope you want to be one like Joseph’s Pharaoh. Take some time to reflect on your style as it relates to Pharaoh’s and see where you need to improve. Then set about building a more effective team than you have now so that you and your organization can be the fullest, best expression of who it is that God intended for you and them to be.  Have a great week!

*******************

LABOR DAY:  Next weekend is our Labor Day holiday in the States and I think I will take a week off from writing the Memo, my first week off this year.  You will hear from me again for Monday, September 12. To all my American friends, I hope you enjoy the last weekend of the summer next week.

Comments

[Kim]

Dr, J, those are great qualities to have in a servant-leader. I really never had a boss with all those qualities, maybe once. I usually find leaders with the "if you mess up,you are in trouble" attitude. You should have a series "how to be a good servant leader". many blessings! kim

[meizitang]

Pharaoh was rewarded well for his exceptional leadership skills