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 in righteousness or in wickedness as king rippled down to the people.

Principle: The character qualities of leadership strongly affect the workplace.

When Leonard Roberts, a well-known leader in the franchise industry was appointed CEO of Arby’s quick serve food chain, it was struggling. He saw that the problem area was lack of service, support, and financial incentives to the staff by Arby’s headquarters. He promised to deliver that help but the owners of Arby’s refused to pay staff bonuses. Therefore, he resigned and was eventually 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 leadership of Tandy Corporation, which flourished, under his level of vision and personal commitment.

During Robert’s tenure with Tandy/RadioShack stores were found everywhere in the U.S. and in several other countries. They got on the bandwagon of new technology. In my experience, they were a good place to shop. They were well-managed, and the salespeople were good examples of people who thrive at work. They are courteous, patient, and knowledgeable. Even my wife, who was not a technical person, did not hesitate to go to a RadioShack to shop.

So be decisive and keep your promises. The benefits will filter down. Everybody will respect that and will rejoice under your leadership.

Discussion:

1. What effects have you seen character-filled leadership in the workplace?

2. What effects have you seen of weak leadership in the workplace?

3. Which is your workplace?