7 REQUIREMENTS TO BE A LEADER
The book of Daniel opens in the land of captivity.
INTRODUCTION
The book of Daniel and the book of Ruth are two books in the Bible that I highly recommend every young person should read repeatedly. One should read that at least as many times as their age. If you are 30, read it at least 30 times i.e. once a year.
They contain profound truths that have practical applications in all areas of life. I'll be reading through and sending out my thoughts once every two days for a few weeks, drawing key lessons from these books. I invite you to come along, and to share with your friends.
7 REQUIREMENTS TO BE A LEADER
The book of Daniel opens in the land of captivity. Israel had sinned for several years, and their punishment was captivity. In the reign of King Jehoiakim, Nebudchadnezzar conquered them and took some members into captivity. All the recorded events that happened to Daniel are during his years in captivity.
Reading: Daniel 1:1-6
In Chapter 1, we find a very intriguing scene. The King organized a leadership recruitment process. He wanted to find people from Israel who would serve in his courtyard. See, a king understands that his success or failure is totally dependent on the people surrounding him. Therefore, every King chooses the very best. In this case, Nebuchadnezzar set out to choose the very best. Not everyone can serve in the King's service.
He laid some very specific requirements for a potential leader;
- from the royal family and the nobility.
- young
- good looking
- showing aptitude for every kind of learning
- well informed
- quick to understand
- speaks the king's language.
Daniel 1:3-4
Let's look at these one after the other and see how we qualify.
The royalty and nobility in ancient times were a heritage passed from one family to another. They were special people respected for nothing other than their family lineage. The only thing closest to this today is the royal family of Queen Elizabeth in England. We have expressions of such nobility in traditional rulers in Nigeria today. However, these are no longer as powerful as they were 3,000+ years ago. But automatically, every Christian satisfies the requirement of royal lineage. The Bible established this when it said "You are a royal priesthood." You, my friend, are a King or a Queen.
Young
Youth is the age when everything happens. Blaise Pascal was 19 when he invented the calculator, Mary Shelley published her bestselling Frankenstein at 20, Yousafzai Malala was 18 when she won the Nobel Prize, Martin Luther King Jr was 26 when he became leader of the bus boycott in Montgomery. Young people change the world, the thing is that it is only when they are old that they are celebrated. When you are young, you have time, and you have your life ahead of you. You can afford some mistakes. These are the best times to be in the King's Service. The King knows this. He wants people who can spend the night cracking a problem, he wants people who have no other obligation other than solely focusing on what matters, and he wants people who are still very much inspired to change the world. Research shows that as people get older, habits become more difficult to change and pessimism sets in. The best time to do anything is in your youth. Of course, there are many people who do great things in their old age. Indeed, age is not a barrier. Yet, there are things a 70-year-old just cannot do but a 20-year-old will easily do. Youth is an advantage.
Good looking
In his book, Influence, Robert Caldini talks about the weapons of Influence. One of them is "Liking". When people like you, they listen to you. What makes people like you? Many things... including how you look. Dressing. Think about this for a moment. If I wore three-quarter jeans and walked up to you on the street to tell you about some major investment that can change your life, you would hardly believe me. Now, imagine another scene, if I dress in a suit and walk to you, what will you do? Surely listen to me. My suit alone will cause you to pay attention. In some controlled studies, it was discovered that people who dress well are likely to be listened to and believed 70% more than those who dress randomly. We are in an age where "it is my life and I will dress however I want" is the norm, yet, nothing has changed about humans, good dressing is still important.
Showing aptitude for all kinds of learning
There is a term for this: "lifelong learning." Unfortunately, lifelong learning is becoming old fashioned. Yet, there is no time in history in which lifelong learning is more important than today. Everything is changing so fast. Alvin Toffler said, "The illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn."
Kings will bid you come only if you have relevant knowledge. Strive Masiyiwa said "If you don't know anything, even if you meet Bill Gates nothing will change in your life." How profound. An aptitude for learning is pivotal for remaining relevant in a world that is constantly changing.
Do you have such an aptitude for learning? Are you always curious about things and searching for deep things? If you are reading this, I'm assuming that you are.
Well Informed
This flows from the 3rd point. How informed are you? Basic general information is good for conversation and attests to how you apply yourself to learning. It is generally good to know a little about everything. The population of the world, the ratio of men to women, and the number of countries in the world. These are some examples of random facts that an informed person should know. There are many more. The more information you have, the more "well informed" you are. It is cool to just know things.
The information you have will make you stand out in a crowd. Be well informed.
Quick to understand
How fast can you learn? What I have learned, and seen, is that the more you apply yourself to things, the easier it becomes to understand things. There is so much information in the world today, but understanding it is very different. It is one thing to say that there is going to be low rainfall in 2023, it is another to say "there is going to be low rainfall and we need to plan a better system for farming." Having information is not enough, understanding it is important. The world will listen to you if you understand things and know what to do. Understanding is the application of knowledge. A recent example is Covid19 which rocked the world for 2 years. Although the spread was apparent from the beginning, there were very few people who understood the implications if it continued to spread in the same way.
Are you quick to understand?
Speaks the king’s language.
Pastor E. A. Adeboye shared a story of how he missed a scholarship that could have change his life. He had been selected as a recipient of the scholarship, and a final test was organized. It was a dinner. When they came in, there was a large table before them and no instructions were uttered. Immediately, he went and dipped his hands in the meat bowl. He was just being a natural person. He lost the scholarship.
Such an attitude is not one befitting of kings. As you read the story of Daniel and his friends, you will soon realize how his speech was excellent, his approach was respectful and his attitude towards those who were his enemies was reconciliatory though firm. These attitudes are what make a man fit to serve in the king's palace.
Are your attitudes befitting to serve in a King's palace? Do you have some attitudes that are not fit for a King's service? Throw them away. A common one I can think about is picking your nose publicly. Throw it down.
This passage ends with a statement. Among those who were chosen were some from Judah; Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Daniel 1:6 NIV
Very helpful thanks .