Page 168 - The Bible On Leadership

154 THE BIBLE ON LEADERSHIP

occupying himself with the meaningless task of scaring anyone who
happens along his path. Only when he finds meaning through a mutu-
ally shared goal and loyalty to others on the team does his true courage
come out. As the story progresses, the lion meets many more ferocious
characters than the ones he initially tried to frighten. His courage grows
as he becomes protective of his team and increasingly dedicated to the
team’s mission, which is merged completely with his own mission.
Part of the lion’s problem, of course, is not so much his need to
develop courage as to define it. The lion assumed that because he felt
fear, he must not be as courageous as the ‘‘King of the Forest’’ is sup-
posed to be. What he (and most biblical and business leaders) needed to
learn is that courage is not the absence of fear but the willingness to act
despite feeling fear: ‘‘Feel the fear and do it anyway.’’
The Bible is replete with heroes and leaders who exhibit many kinds
of courage: physical, political, and moral. The prototype, of course, is
David, the shepherd boy confronting a heavily armored, battle-
hardened giant, and who proclaimed to King Saul, ‘‘Let no one lose
heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.’’
(1 Sam. 17:32) Queen Esther risked her privileged position in the royal
palace (and her very life) to save her people from extinction. The
prophet Jeremiah was willing to risk death to warn the rulers of his
nation of their coming extinction if they did not change their idolatrous
ways; he was not put to death, but was subjected to various imprison-
ments and tortures. Daniel braved a lion’s den and the king’s wrath
rather than deny his beliefs. And Jesus and his disciples were subjected
to legal persecution, beatings, ridicule, and death. Courage, supported
by inner conviction, is what kept them going.

THE POWER OF COURAGE

Leaders who possess courage have a trait that can permeate and trans-
form everything they do. Courage is often the critical seasoning in the
‘‘leadership stew.’’ Without it, no one even wants to taste the stew;
even victory can taste bland. With it, every undertaking is an adventure,