11 Warnings About Foolish Leaders

If you want to know where to begin reading leadership lessons in Bible, start with reading one chapter a day in the book of Proverbs.  It is full of wisdom which will make you a better person and leader.  In fact, there are 31 chapters in Proverbs.  One for each day of a 31-day month.

Last Thursday, May 26th, I read the 26th chapter of Proverbs.  This section of text discusses the actions of fools and how we should deal with them.  Since I apply everything to leadership, I gleaned 11 Warnings About Foolish Leaders from this incredible portion of Scripture.

Listed below is the principle followed by the verse.

1. Do Not Celebrate Foolish Leaders Or Give Them Honor. – v.1 “honor is not fitting for a fool.”
2. Foolish Leaders Have No Self-Leadership. – v. 3 “A whip for the horse, A bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the fool’s back.”
3. Foolish Leaders Have Foolish Conversations.  Do Not Engage In These. – v. 4 “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him.”
4. Foolish Leaders Should Not Be Encouraged. – v. 5 “Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.”
5. Foolish Leaders Cannot Be Trusted With Important Information. – v. 6 “He who sends a message by the hand of a fool Cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.”
6. Foolish Leaders Lack Skill And Waste Resources. – v. 7 “Like the legs of the lame that hang limp Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.”
7. Foolish Leaders Waste Opportunity. –  v. 8 “Like one who binds a stone in a sling Is he who gives honor to a fool.”
8. Foolish Leaders Have Poor Judgement. – v. 9 “Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.”
9. Foolish Leaders Will Experience Severe Consequences Of Their Actions. – v. 10 “The great God who formed everything Gives the fool his hire and the transgressor his wages.”
10. Foolish Leaders Never Learn Or Grow.  They Make The Same Mistakes Over And Over Again. – v. 11 “As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly.”
11. There Is Little Hope For Foolish Leaders. – v. 12 “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”

Don’t be a foolish leader!

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