Revolution

LQ-Character

The final quality that Jethro mentions to Moses as necessary for leadership is character, & it flows out the depth of one's integrity. Even Jethro links the two as he says, "men of truth who hate dishonest gain." Character matters.

In the case of Moses, he needed to surround himself with leaders that he could trust totally. He had to know that these leaders wouldn't allow anything to compromise their integrity & character. And there's more going on here than just "dishonest gain" in the financial sense.

How often do team members have a chance to undermine the team leader for the sake of their own leadership, reputation, or advancement? It happens more often than you might think. How often does the associate pastor of a church have to make the choice to either affirm or deflect complaints about the senior pastor with whom he serves? How often does the assistant manager have to listen to the complaints of co-workers about the boss? It happens all the time. How that team member deals with the situation reveals his or her character. If he chooses to listen to the criticism & even join in the criticism, he's not only undermining the leadership above him, he's unwittingly undermining his own as well.

Dishonest gain can be more than simply taking a bribe. In leadership, it can be putting self ahead of the vision, taking credit for work that someone else did, or undermining other leaders in order to make oneself look or feel more important. It all reveals what our character really is. Character is built slowly by daily living a life of integrity, & we all know it can be destroyed quickly by a single act of dishonesty or selfish pride. Guard your heart, grow your integrity, & you'll grow your LQ.