In this study of the character of leaders, I find myself thinking about “the character of characters.” A “character” is a person, often someone who plays a part in a story and is an example from whom we can learn, but it is also a trait or attribute that can be applied to that person and to his/her leadership. When we study the character of that character – identifying biblical characters, and then identifying something in their character that can teach us something about who we are and how we lead – we learn things about the character of leadership that can be applied in our own lives. In this week’s episode, we are learning from Joseph.
I am starting this discussion with a story of one of the schools where God called me to serve. The specific ministry in Christian education to which God had called my wife and I was to participate in the healing and restoration of Christian schools, and we saw that in every school where God sent us to serve. In one school, that involved helping wounded people heal from broken trust. In my first year at that school, I made it one of my primary goals to restore trust, and I almost cried at the end of the school year when, in a review of the year with teachers, almost everyone identified trust as one of the top positive takeaways from the years. I share this because I think that trust is essential to effective leadership, and I also think it is a prime character trait of the biblical character, Joseph.
Joseph was young and immature when he aggravated and alienated his brothers, to the point that they intentionally chose to remove him from their family. He ended up in Potiphar’s house, where he earned the trust of Potiphar so much that he was given decision-making authority over everything in the household. However, he was betrayed and falsely accused, resulting in broken trust even though he had done nothing wrong, and was sent to prison. In prison, he earned the trust of the jailor so much that he was given decision-making authority over everything in the prison. However, even though he earned the trust of not only the jailer, but also some fellow prisoners who worked for the Pharoah, he was forgotten. Eventually, he was given the opportunity to earn the trust of the Pharoah so much that he was given decision-making authority over everything in the kingdom.
The point is, Joseph built trust. He did it by doing what he said he would do, and doing it right and with excellence. That doesn’t mean that everyone with whom he built trust was just as trustworthy in return. In fact, he built trust with Potiphar, but then was betrayed. He followed that by building trust with the jailer and his fellow prisoners in prison, but then was forgotten. You might think that he would give up, give in, and quit trying to be a trustworthy person because of these experiences. However, even though he himself was demonstrating trustworthy character, his trust was in God, not in others. So when others let him down, he was not shaken because his character wasn’t contingent on their response, but on God’s protection and provision. Ultimately, his experiences were steps in the journey of building trust with the Pharoah. The end result was that his trustworthiness put him in the position of being able to rescue his family when crises came.
There are two things I think we can and should learn from the character of this character:
- Be worthy of trust. Be a person of integrity who does what you say you will, doing it with excellence, and thereby earning the trust of the people you follow, the people you lead, and the people who are working with you. When they know they can trust you to do what is right and to keep your word, they are much more likely to follow you.
- Keep your trust in God, not in others. People will let you down, but be trustworthy anyway. When they break your trust, look at God and look for what He is doing, trusting that in all circumstances He has your best interest in mind as part of His plan.
So, the primary lesson we learn from the character of Joseph? Be trustworthy – someone in whom people can trust – but let your trust be in God.