Moses and the Six Principles of Leadership

Moses, the great prophet of the Judeo-Christian tradition, may have lived thousands of years ago, but the record of his life and leadership present relevant insights for modern leaders.

The life of Moses divides neatly into thirds: his life as a privileged prince of Egypt, his years as a desert shepherd, and the dramatic final period of revolutionary head of the House of Israel.

A number of recorded sermons presented by Moses to the newly liberated Israelites are contained in the Book of Deuteronomy-the source of more citations and references than any other in the Pentateuch. In the second of three sermons, Moses gives his counsel with regards to forms of leadership that will inevitably come into being once his prophetic leadership ceases.

As recorded in Deuteronomy 17:4, Moses declares: "When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, [thou] shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all nations that are about me."

At first reading, this may sound like a resigned warning of a likely mistake. However, various translations suggest that a monarchy was not necessarily contrary to Moses' counsel. The Greek translation of this statement reads: "You may actually establish a king over you." The Contemporary English Version says, "Go ahead and appoint a king."

A monarchy was an acceptable form of governance-or perhaps Moses knew his people well and could foresee the likely unfolding of events and Israel's inclination to adapt to local conditions. Either way, Moses presented six principles that would hopefully establish and maintain the role of leadership, regardless of the title that was used to designate the leader.

The first rule is one inconsistent with most patterns of monarchy. "Set a king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose" (Deuteronomy 17:15). In other words, the king was to be selected democratically-by the voice of the people.

Second, the pool of candidates was to be from among those who knew and understood the culture and conditions of the people: "One from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother" (Deuteronomy 17:15).

Third, the position of king was one of stewardship and not exploitation and gain: "But he shall not multiply horses unto himself not cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses" (Deuteronomy 17:16).

Fourth, integrity and propriety were to exten into the king's personal life and relationships: "Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away" (Deuteronomy 17:17).

Fifth, as a reminder of the third principle (indicating just what a challenge this would be), Moses declares, "Neither shall he greatly multiply to himself Silver and Gold" (Deuteronomy 17:17).

Finally, "And it," meaning a copy of the scriptures, "shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life" (Deuteronomy 17:19). The effective leader is a life-long learner and continues to grow and develop.

Though thousands of years have passed and the world would look new and strange to Moses, his counsel to leaders continues to contain relevant truths worth considering and applying.