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Leadership
Tiffany Burgi
School of Business, Liberty University
Author Note
Tiffany Burgi
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Tiffany Burgi
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the various leadership traits in the book Christ-Centered
Exposition Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings by Tony Merida. The leadership traits that are looked
at are stability, mentoring, and wisdom. Solomon is looked at for the wisdom he had as King.
For mentoring, it is discussed how the prophet Elijah followed God's direction to mentor Elisha.
Additionally, the paper discusses how Omri was a stable leader and how that is an important
leadership trait.
Keywords: Leadership, stability, mentoring, wisdom
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Negative Leadership Traits
Introduction
In the book of Kings one and two in the Bible, we can see many different leadership
styles, both good and bad. We see in our textbook how Nadab, Baasha, and Elah were all
inadequate rulers. We also have examples of good leaders like King Omri, King Elija, and King
Solomon (Merida, 2015). We can learn from both, good and bad leaders. We should strive to
become like the good leaders in the Bible. We can also learn from those that were not in sync
with the plan that God laid out. We want to understand why leaders did not do what was
expected of them and how they lead to ensure we do not follow in their footsteps.
King Solomon the Man with Wisdom
King Solomon was a wise leader. Wisdom may not be looked at as a traditional
leadership style, but I believe it is. Someone can have wisdom but not use it correctly. It makes
me think of the saying “knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit and wisdom is knowing
not to put it in a fruit salad.” Knowledge is a valuable thing to have and develop. I am very
knowledgeable in many things, but I know am aware of my limits. To me, that is having wisdom.
King Solomon showed wisdom in how he led as a King. "’Wisdom leadership' – ‘where wisdom
is more than the sum of our knowledge, intelligence, experience, and innovative thinking" (Naik,
2019). This is an excellent definition of wisdom and how it is a part of leadership. They describe
the flow of wisdom as wisdom, reflection, action, knowledge, and over time, with experience,
people can go from wisdom to knowledge (Naik, 2019). King Solomon showed his wisdom in
many ways. In our textbook, we see how King Solomon was seeking wisdom “in 1 Kings 3:5-15
five times the word ‘ask’ is used, and five times the word ‘give’ is used" (Merida, 2015, p. 23).
Kings Solomon wanted wisdom from God so that he would be a good leader for his people.
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Wisdom is timeless. Looking back at the past and understanding how things were handled can
become a worthwhile lesson for dealing with future situations or issues that may arise in a new
era (Hudson, 2020). As leaders, we need to use the wisdom we have. We can succeed when we
have our confidence in what we know and use it to the best of our ability. We also need to
humble ourselves when we need to seek more wisdom, which can be difficult at times. I know,
for myself, it can be hard to ask for help when I need it. A leader needs to use their wisdom when
they realize they are lacking in certain areas while taking the initiative to search for the
information to make informed decisions. In my research, one article I found equated wisdom
with being an ethical leader. We can better understand other people along with ourselves
(Elkington, 2020). Wisdom implies decisions should be ethical. "So the Lord gave wisdom to
Solomon, just as he had promised. And Hiram and Solomon made a formal alliance of peace"
(New Living Translation, 2021, 1 Kings 5:12). We see in the Bible God gave King Solomon the
wisdom he was seeking. If it were not an essential trait for a leader to have, God would not grant
it to those seeking it and it would also not be sought out so much throughout the Bible. If we are
relying on our wisdom in our leadership, it should be inherently ethical. Wisdom is an essential
characteristic for leaders to develop and employ.
The Mentor Elijah
When you look at the prophet Elijah, there are many great leadership traits he possessed.
One of his more honorable ones to me was being a mentor. Being a mentor is an essential role of
a leader. You, in some ways, should always be mentoring those you lead. You may not have a
traditional mentor relationship will everyone you lead. But it would be best if you were
encouraging them and wanting them to succeed. In the conventional sense, being a mentor is a
way of building the future leaders up. We see how God provided the prophet, Elijah, a
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companion but also gave him the opportunity to be a mentor to Elisha. Our book says, "Elisha
was like an intern" (Merida, 2015, p. 147). I look at the mentor and apprentice relationship
between, Elijah and Elisha, and realize some mentor relationships are temporary, and that is not a
bad or good thing (Csillag et al., 2017), which can be because of many different reasons. People
should not take offense if their mentor-apprentice relationship is not years long. Everyone should
take stock of what they learned from their mentor and be thankful. Also, vice versa, if you are
mentoring someone and it ends, look at what guidance you provided and know they are better for
it. We can see how mentoring is important to God through Elijah. "Elijah anointing Elisha, God's
chosen prophet" (Merida, 2015, p. 146). If this leadership trait were not necessary, God would
not have chosen people to walk alongside others and bring them up in the faith for the greater
good. Mentoring will build effective leaders for the future with a support system (Murrell et al.,
2021). Some people may look at building better leaders as a threat to their roles or positions. If
we are building good, ethical and honest leaders, people should not feel threatened. Feeling
threatened is like people believing in God and not wanting others to believe so they can reap
more benefits. There will always be room for good and effective leaders. One area I believe
strongly in is that there needs to be more mentoring for youth. People often hear about mentoring
in higher education or in the business world, however, if we were to start mentoring at a younger
age, there could be some fantastic results. Youth mentoring is a nonparental person having a
dyadic relationship helping with the development of personal and professional goals (Goldner &
Ben-Eliyahu, 2021). If we start at a young age, we will be better equipping youth to succeed in
whatever they are wanting or needing. Working with youth for many years, I know there are
things they will not necessarily talk to their parents about. Maybe they did not want to feel dumb
asking their parents about certain things. One other benefit of having someone outside of their
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parents is to see and maybe realize other perspectives. If youth(s) have a mentor, they are
looking at the accountability differently. Yes, they know their parents care about them, but they
may sometimes feel like their parents are nagging them. Mentoring youth can help them explore
various things so they feel safe making decisions when they need to. I believe mentorship is
immensely important and has been in my own life. There are many things that I have had to
endure that, in the end, I was grateful to have a mentor walk though it with me.
Stable King Omri
When I look at King Omri, I see stability as one of his leadership traits. He brought
stability to the division with Israel and he established a new capital city that would bring stability
to the people as well. It was placed where "military and economically, overlooking important
trade routes" (Merida, 2015, p. 95). When there are times of crisis, having a stable leader
provides a calming presence. People look to the leaders to have answers. When it comes to
politics, often, people are looking for who will be a stable leader to vote for (Doty &
Soloveichik, 2018). If we look back to when we were children, we often look to our parents to
lead us because they were stability for us. When you look at our political climate on both sides,
people feel like our last, and our current president are not stable, which is very telling on how
important it is in leadership. In one article I read, the success of building trust between students
and the teachers leading them was because they set out to hire stable and collaborative leadership
(Burns et al., 2019). When there is stability in leadership, those under you will begin to trust you.
When I consider the leadership at my apartment building, which I have lived in the same
building for just under three years, I have had four different managers. Each manager comes with
different rules to enforce and some others that are ignored. This unstable leadership created an
environment where the residents did not feel like management cared about the them. Often, it
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seemed as though they are more worried about making money instead of making us feel
welcome in our own building and home.
Conclusion
Discussed are just a few of the leadership traits that can be found in the book Christ-
Centered Exposition Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings by Tony Merida. I believe the traits of
wisdom, mentoring, and wisdom fit in many situations. It can be applied in our professional life,
personal life, and our faith. I also think we do not need to be in a leadership role to use these
styles in our lives because they were important enough traits to be in the Bible, which means
God wants this for all of our lives and not just when we are in a role of a leader.
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References
Burns, D., Darling-Hammond, L., Scott, C., & Learning Policy Institute. (2019). Closing the
opportunity gap: How positive outlier districts in California are pursuing equitable access
to deeper learning. Research Brief. Positive outliers series. InJLearning Policy Institute.
Learning Policy Institute.
Csillag, S., Csizmadia, P., Kerekes, K., & Zaharie, M. (2017). Business mentors’ competences in
intensive learning environments: Lessons from an empirical research. Managerial
Challenges of the Contemporary Society, 10(1), 102–107.
Doty, D., & Soloveichik, D. (2018). Stable leader election in population protocols requires linear
time.JDistributed Computing,J31(4), 257–271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00446-016-0281-z
Elkington, R. (2020). Ancient wisdom for ethical leadership: Ubuntu and the ethic of
ecosophy.JJournal of Leadership Studies,J13(4), 48–52. https://doi.org/10.1002/jls.21672
Goldner, L., & Ben-Eliyahu, A. (2021). Unpacking community-based youth mentoring
relationships: An integrative review.JInternational Journal of Environmental Research and
Public Health,J18(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115666
Holy bible new living translation. (2021). DaySpring; Candace Cameron Bure
Hudson, T. E. (2020). If sages worked in tech: Ancient wisdom for future‐proof
leadership.JJournal of Leadership Studies,J13(4), 43–47. https://doi.org/10.1002/jls.21674
Merida, T. (2015).JChrist-centered exposition: Exalting Jesus in 1 and 2 kings. (D. Platt & D. L.
Akin, Eds.). B & H Publishing Group.
Murrell, A. J., Blake-Beard, S., & Porter, D. M., Jr. (2021). The importance of peer mentoring,
identity work and holding environments: A study of African American leadership
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development.JInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,J18(9).
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094920
Naik, S. D. (2019). A new perspective on wisdom leadership: Towards WISE model of
leadership.JFinance India,J33(3), 655–672.
https://doi.org/http://www.financeindia.org/cop.htm
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Annotated Bibliography
Burns, D., Darling-Hammond, L., Scott, C., & Learning Policy Institute. (2019). Closing the
opportunity gap: How positive outlier districts in California are pursuing equitable access
to deeper learning. Research Brief. Positive outliers series. InJLearning Policy Institute.
Learning Policy Institute.
This journal article is found in the ERIC database. The article is found in the Learning
Policy Institute Journal.'The journal was first published in 2015. It is published by
Learning Policy Institute. The journal is peer-reviewed and accessed online. The journal
focuses on conducts and communicates independent, high-quality research to improve
education policy and practice. The author Dion Burns has been published 19 times. The
author Linda Darling-Hammond has been published 290 times academic journals, has 41
published books and other various formats with a total of 812 publications. The author
Caitlin Scott has been published in 59 academic journals and other various formats with a
total of 123 publications. The article focuses on having the goal of stable leaders in
administration and educators as the hiring focus of districts in California. It fits into the
assignment because how it shows how stable leaders build trust.J
Csillag, S., Csizmadia, P., Kerekes, K., & Zaharie, M. (2017). Business mentors’ competences in
intensive learning environments: Lessons from an empirical research. Managerial
Challenges of the Contemporary Society, 10(1), 102–107.
This journal article is found in the Business Source Complete database. The article is found
in the Managerial Challenges of the Contemporary Society Journal. The journal was first
published on 01/01/2010. It is typically released twice a year. Risoprint Publishing House
publishes it. The journal is accessed online and is peer-reviewed. The journal focuses on
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academic scientists, business leaders, and professionals. The author S. Csillag has been
published six times, all in academic journals. The author P. Csizmadia has been published
three times, twice in academic journals. The author K. Kerekes has been published nine
times, four times in academic journals. The author M. Zaharie has been published 13 times
in the EBSCO. The article focuses on a recently developed form of business support
services. They conduct a study to see if there is an improvement in understanding the
institutional settings under which mentoring services are provided. Also looked at is the
mentors' skills and competencies are somewhat different in the participating countries. It
also discusses how mentorship can be short lived. It fits the paper with having discussion
on mentoring and that it could be small about of time.
Doty, D., & Soloveichik, D. (2018). Stable leader election in population protocols requires linear
time.JDistributed Computing,J31(4), 257–271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s0044x6-016-0281-z
This journal article is found in the Computers & Applied Sciences Complete database. The
article is found in the Distributed Computing Journal. The journal was first published on
September 1st, 2003. It is released every other month. It is published by Springer. The
journal is peer-reviewed and accessed online. The journal focuses on a scientific, technical,
and medical portfolio, providing researchers in academia, scientific institutions, and
corporate R&D departments with quality content through innovative information, products
and services. The author David Doty has been published 43 times in academic journals.
The author David Soloveichik has been published in 38 academic journals. The article
focuses on stable leadership in elections and what people are looking for. It also looks at
what stability looks like during an election, along with those who are running for the
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election. The article fits into the paper by showing how important stable leadership is
important to people.
Elkington, R. (2020). Ancient wisdom for ethical leadership: Ubuntu and the ethic of
ecosophy.JJournal of Leadership Studies,J13(4), 48–52. https://doi.org/10.1002/jls.21672
This journal article is found in the Business Source Complete database. The article is found
in the Journal of Leadership Studies. The journal was first published on March 1, 2009. It
is released quarterly. John Wiley & Sons, Inc publishes it. The journal is peer-reviewed
and accessed online and in print. The journal focuses on leadership research and theoretical
contributions that bridge the gap between scholarship and practice and that exemplify
critical inquiry into contemporary organizational issues and paradigms. The author Rob
Elkington has been published six times in academic journals. The article focuses on how
producing an ethical empower leadership to better relate to oneself, one another, and the
earth in which we live and upon which all of us depend for life and living. The article fits
the paper showing how have wise leaders will also provide ethical leaders.
Goldner, L., & Ben-Eliyahu, A. (2021). Unpacking community-based youth mentoring
relationships: An integrative review.JInternational Journal of Environmental Research and
Public Health,J18(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115666
This journal article is found in the Medline database. The article is found in the
International Journal of environmental research and public health. The journal was first
published in January 2005. It is released monthly. It is published by Molecular Diversity
Preservation International. The journal is peer-reviewed and accessed online. The journal
focuses on public health, environmental health, public health, risk assessment. The author
L. Goldner has been published 30 times in academic journals. The author A. Ben-Eliyahu
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has been published 220 times in academic journals. The article focuses on Formal
community-based youth mentoring relationships. Also what goes into having a mentor
consistently provides positive outcomes. This article fits into the paper because it shows
how important mentorship is for youth.
Hudson, T. E. (2020). If sages worked in tech: Ancient wisdom for future‐proof
leadership.JJournal of Leadership Studies,J13(4), 43–47. https://doi.org/10.1002/jls.21674
This journal article is found in the Business Source Complete database. The article is found
in the Journal of Leadership Studies. The journal was first published on March 1, 2009. It
is released quarterly. John Wiley & Sons, Inc publishes it. The journal is peer-reviewed
and accessed online and in print. The journal focuses on leadership research and theoretical
contributions that bridge the gap between scholarship and practice and that exemplify
critical inquiry into contemporary organizational issues and paradigms. The author Trevor
Eric Hudson has only this one article published. The article focuses on leadership and its
definition is on a continual evolution that is often no more than exchanging one outdated
characteristic. The future‐proof leader has a greater capacity to wrestle the complexities of
the modern world. The article shows how looking at the past will give wisdom in the future
fitting into the paper.
Murrell, A. J., Blake-Beard, S., & Porter, D. M., Jr. (2021). The importance of peer mentoring,
identity work and holding environments: A study of African American leadership
development.JInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,J18(9).
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094920
This journal article is found in the Medline database. The article is found in the
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The journal was first
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published in March 2004. It is released monthly. It is published by Molecular Diversity
Preservation International. The journal is peer-reviewed and accessed online. The journal
focuses on public health, environmental health, public health, risk assessment. The author
AJ Murrell has been published in eight academic journals. The author S. Blake-Beard has
been published in four academic journals. The author DM Porter Jr has been published one
time in academic journals. The article looks at how mentoring is well-known for its
positive impact on diversity and inclusion. Their study found that peer mentoring is
effective in providing a safe environment for the necessary work of identity to take place
among African American leaders. The article fit the paper sowing how mentorship will
build stronger leaders of tomorrow.
Naik, S. D. (2019). A new perspective on wisdom leadership: Towards WISE model of
leadership.JFinance India,J33(3), 655–672.
https://doi.org/http://www.financeindia.org/cop.htm
This journal article is found in the EconLit database. The article is found in the Finance
India Journal. The journal was first published on September 1, 2003. It is released typically
four times a year. It is published by Indian Institute of Finance The journal is peer-
reviewed and accessed online and in print. The journal acts as a forum for intradisciplinary
study of finance, accounting & related areas. The author Shruti D. Naik has been published
in four academic journals. The article is a review and development of WISE model that
was empirically tested in Indian organizations. Their study was to describe leadership
inherited by the women managers, in three sectors government, N.G.O and Corporate. The
article fits into the paper by talking about what makes up a leadership wisdom.
