Proverbs 29:2 “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.”
Solomon knew from experience that what he did as king, righteous or in wicked, affected the people in his kingdom.
Principle: Leaders with integrity profoundly affect those who work for them.
Be decisive and keep your word. Associates and employees will respect that and rejoice under your leadership.
When Leonard Roberts, a well-known leader in the franchise industry, was appointed CEO of Arby’s fast-food chain it was struggling. He saw the problem area was lack of support and financial incentives for the staff by Arby’s headquarters. Roberts promised to correct this by creating an incentive program. He created a program and announced it to the staff.
However, the owners of Arby’s refused to pay the bonuses as promised. After intense discussions with the owners, Roberts was fired. Robert’s response was “You cannot maintain your integrity at 90 percent and be a leader. It’s got to be 100 percent.” He ended up taking the reigns of Tandy Corporation, which flourished under his integrity and leadership. The people at Tandy rejoiced.
Examples of wicked rulers who cause people to groan have been in the news also. There have been plenty of multimillionaires convicted of wicked behavior in the leadership of their companies. Their defense is often that it was the people who worked for them who were to blame. They claim to be victims rather than perpetrators of the frauds that enrich them.
Evil behavior is a choice, but many are ready to pass blame to others. Ambrose Bierce defined this tendency when he noted that personal responsibility is “a detachable burden easily shifted to the shoulders of God, fate, fortune, luck or one’s neighbor.”
Discussion:
1. Why is it hard for us to keep our word?
2. When have you been on the receiving end of a manager with integrity? How about a manager without integrity? For which would you rather work?
3. Renew your commitment today to lead with integrity, and watch God’s blessings abound.
