Leadership Skills Today For Tomorrows Legacies

Genesis 8:6-13:
6 So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. 7 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. 8 He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. 10 And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. 11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore. 13 And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry.


Mike's Thoughts:
There's a valuable leadership lesson for me in these verses and one that should be part of Noah's legacy to leaders forever. The lesson is that it is a leader's responsibility to practice patience when making important decisions. The leader is to make sure they have enough accurate information before taking action. I'm sure that Noah was under pressure from his family to open the ark after being cooped up with all those smelly animals for so long. It's not explained, but to open the ark early might have proven disastrous. Noah waited until he got the correct information and then waited some more to be sure before he acted. Although it is not mentioned, I'm sure Noah prayed daily over the proper timing for his action. His patience and strength were rewarded as his family was richly blessed.

Mike's Action Points:
1- I need to be patient and not make hasty decisions when the situation does not warrant it.
2- I need to pray for guidance.
3- I need to seek the correct information needed on which to act.
4- I need to resist the urgings of others to take hasty action.

Please see my leadership blog: http://legacycoach.blogspot.com

Become the Legacy Leader God Created You To Be

Genesis 6:6:
"And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart."

Mike's Thoughts:
So, did God "mess up" when he made man? Is it possible that our God, who is "perfect" in every way, actually made a mistake in creating man? Absolutely not! The real problem is that God made us TOO well. He gave man free will and God was "grieved in His heart" over how man was exercising this free will. From a leadership perspective, often I beat myself up because I didn't do enough for my people or give them enough direction and I feel that I have failed them because they get off track. However, I need to remember that they have the ability to come to me and ask for help
or guidance and it is not necessarily my fault if they fail to do so. A final note that really got my attention in this verse is that God has a heart! I never think of God in such human terms that He would even have need of a heart. As the omnipotent being in the universe, I just assume that God is love and exists in another dimension that we can't comprehend and has no need for a human heart. Perhaps God is talking to us through the Bible in language we can comprehend and does not literally have a human heart.

Mike's Action Points:
1- Do my best for my people.
2- Keep my door open to them.
3- Listen to my heart, but seek God's will and guidance in my life and decisions that I make.

Please see my Leadership blog: http://legacycoach.blogspot.com