One of the great prophets of the Old Testament is Joseph. Joseph is a prophet that Jews, Christians, and Muslims revere.
Joseph is perhaps one of the most outstanding examples of leadership in the Bible. His story, found in Genesis 37-50, paints a vivid picture of a leader who faced immense adversity yet chose to remain faithful to God. From his unwavering obedience and loyalty to his resourcefulness and integrity, Joseph exemplifies the qualities that true leaders need.
Read on for a thorough exploration of Joseph’s journey, revealing powerful takeaways about how to lead effectively.
Table of Contents
- 7 Lessons On Leadership We Can From The Prophet Joseph
- Joseph Teaches Us About Trusting Parents, Mentors, And Leaders
- Joseph Teaches Us To Know Our Own Worth
- Joseph Teaches Us The Leaders Lead With Ethics And Morality
- Joseph Show Us That Leaders Should Have Integrity
- Joseph Shows Us Leaders Deal Optimistically With Setbacks
- Joseph Teaches Us That Leaders Should Share Their Visions
- Joseph Did Not Waste His Time And Effort On Revenge
- Related Content
7 Lessons On Leadership We Can From The Prophet Joseph
The life of the Prophet Joseph in the Old Testament is an inspiring example of someone who faced great adversity yet still managed to lead and serve with humility, wisdom, courage, and tenacity. During his lifetime, Joseph experienced trials ranging from betrayal by his family to imprisonment and slavery in Egypt.
But through it all, he maintained his integrity and faithfulness to understand God’s will. We will explore seven essential lessons on leadership that can be learned from Joseph’s story; this timeless narrative teaches us today about being a wise leader.
Joseph Teaches Us About Trusting Parents, Mentors, And Leaders
One of the first things we learned about Joseph is to trust our parents, mentors, and other leaders who have our best interests at heart. When Joseph initially had his dream about the sun, the moon, and the 11th stars, he told his father, Jacob.
Jacob wisely told Joseph not to tell his brothers about his dream. Joseph did not listen and eventually told his brothers, and their jealousy led them to plot his murder, leaving what they thought his brother dead at the bottom of the well.
What we learn here from the story of Joseph is that no matter how talented we are, we need teachers and mentors in life. Mentors can help to make the most of our talent. They can help us to navigate business, personal, and other types of minefields.
One of the great things that the launching leader’s course teaches us is that we should have mentors to help us become more successful. We learn from Joseph the importance of listening to our mentors.
Joseph Teaches Us To Know Our Own Worth
One of the underlined stories that we learn from Joseph in the Old Testament is that we need to determine our worth, and not let others determine our worth. A good leader understands their worth.
After Joseph was thrown into the well, he was found by the traveling caravan and sold into slavery. However, he never saw himself as an enslaved person.
In fact, throughout this time, as an enslaved person, he understood the dignity and worth that was instilled in him by his father, Jacob. This led him to be an exemplary worker.
Joseph Teaches Us The Leaders Lead With Ethics And Morality
After Joseph was sold to Egypt and served in the Egyptian household, the wife of the master tried to seduce him. Joseph understood that he needed to be true to his morals and ethics, resist temptation, and succumb her advances.
He did this as he had his moral compass and understood that he needed to be loyal to his master and show devotion to his God. A good leader understands loyalty, ethics, and morality.
Joseph Show Us That Leaders Should Have Integrity
When Potiphar’s wife tried to get Joseph to do something against his moral compass, Joseph refused to compromise his integrity. He was willing to submit to anything given to him but never to give up his integrity.
Joseph shows that good leaders should have integrity. Even if it means making tough decisions, a good leader will understand that integrity is most important.
Joseph Shows Us Leaders Deal Optimistically With Setbacks
Joseph is certainly one person who had a lot of setbacks in his life. Not only was he sold into Egypt, but he also had to deal with Potiphar’s wife. Joseph had every reason in his life to be depressed, upset, or to lose hope and faith. But he never lost hope and had faith that it would all work out.
Many of us if we were in the same situation would be filled with rage and anger. Joseph shows us that our true leader can deal optimistically with setbacks and find a way to solve problems as they come.
Joseph Teaches Us That Leaders Should Share Their Visions
We also learned from Joseph the importance of sharing our vision. While Joseph was in prison, he was asked to interpret a dream. He later interpreted the pharaoh’s dream, leading him to his release from prison and appointment in Pharaoh’s government.
A good leader has a vision for the direction they want to go. A good leader is not afraid to share that vision with others and to help direct them and gently show them what that vision is.
Joseph Did Not Waste His Time And Effort On Revenge
Joseph was such a great leader that eventually he was in charge of the food supply for the Egypt and the Pharaoh.
While he was in charge of the food supply, some of his brothers came seeking some food. They did not recognize Joseph as they assumed that he was dead.
Joseph immediately recognized his brothers but did not let them know that he had recognized them, but instead asked them to return with their youngest brother, Benjamin.
Joseph could have sought real revenge on his brothers, but instead, he did quite the opposite. Not only did he help his brothers with food, but he also returned the money for the grain that they had purchased.
The brothers did return with Benjamin; when the time was right Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and his family. He had forgiven them. He had no hard feelings. He rose above it all and instead reached out with love.
Joseph could very quickly have spent his time and effort seeking revenge against his brothers for what they had done to him. But we learned from Joseph that a good leader does not waste their time looking for revenge for something that has been done to them that may have even been unfair. Instead, a good leader is focused on the future and how to make the future better.
The life of Joseph in the Old Testament is truly an incredible story filled with lessons about leadership. We should all aspire to emulate his ability to stay true to his convictions and have faith that better days are ahead, despite facing any difficult circumstance.
Joseph was able to turn what was meant for evil into good; it can serve as a great reminder that no matter how dark the situation may seem, it is possible to overcome any challenges. His pattern of leadership offers lessons that all leaders can learn from.
Related Content
How To Set A Smart Goal And Other Area Chapter Events Highlights
During these last months, some of our chapters had many unique events. We are so proud of our chapter leaders and all they do to help serve and help the people in their areas.
The focus of BYU MS for our area is personal development, professional development, and moral and ethical leadership. Each of these programs from our chapter aligned with these BYU MS Asia focus areas.
You can discover more by reading How To Set A Smart Goal And Other Area Chapter Events Highlights by clicking here.
Interweave Solutions – Helps People Start Successful New Businesses
Interweave Solutions, headquartered in Provo, Utah, specializes in helping people start successful small businesses. A few years ago, the company and its “Success Ambassadors” had already trained over 20,000 people. The company has partnered with BYU Management Society chapters in Asia and Africa.
You can discover more by reading Interweave Solutions – Helps People Start Successful New Businesses by clicking here.
