Saturday, July 14, 2007

Why Listening is Key to Leadership


Habakkuk teaches us that leaders must first be listeners. In the first four verses of his book, the prophet cries out for God to answer his questions. He begs God to respond to the injustice, the violence, and the perversion of his nation. He knew God was infinitely just and he could not understand why God didn’t interested in doing something about Judah’s rebellion.


When God finally did respond, He gave Habakkuk a distasteful answer: God declared that He planned to use a nation more unjust than Judah to correct injustice among the Jews. That didn’t make sense to Habakkuk!.

Even so the prophet continued to listen. He wrestled with God but knew that leaders earn their right to speak by listening. When they listen they gain something more precious than the privilege to speak:

1. They gain insight about people
2. They connect with the speaker’s
3. They earn their right to speak
4. They become relevant
5. They understand the keys to the speakers heart
6. They identify
7. They gain authority
8. They learn

Tell me, When you speak, do you learn anything? Do gain anything - should you listen to God and to others?

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