Five “Wisdom” Questions Leaders Should Ask Themselves

Excerpted from Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership, by Tom Harper (DeepWater Books, Dec. 2019). Foreword by Richard Blackaby. View the Book Trailer.

Note from Bob:  Faced with the monumental challenges we are all experiencing, it seems like there has never been a time that Leaders (All Leaders) are more in need of Wisdom than at this very time!  And please know that I am personally at the front of the line of those needing Wisdom now!   I am so grateful for the words from James 1:9:  “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”  My prayer for you and for me is that God would grant us all His Wisdom for this very day!   I am also extremely grateful for my friend Tom Harper and his book on Biblical Wisdom!

How do we as leaders grow in wisdom? The following self-inventory questions may help point out a potential area of focus in your personal quest for wisdom.

1. Have I asked for wisdom?

Even the wisest leaders in the Bible continually asked God for wisdom. That’s a wise practice to follow.

“Give me wisdom & knowledge that I may lead this people” (2 Chronicles 1:10). Already a success, Solomon wanted more wisdom.

“Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people” (1 Kings. 3:9). A young king wanted wisdom before success.

2. Do I act wisely?

Thinking and doing are inseparable in a life governed by wisdom. Christ lived this out for us, modeling the right kind of action.

“Wisdom is proved right by her deeds” (Matthew 11:19). Jesus’ #leadership was criticized, but his actions established him.

3. Do I measure my words?

When we speak, our words sometimes get us into trouble. Therefore we must measure them, just like we number our days, so “we may develop wisdom in our hearts” (Psalm 90:12).

“When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise” (Proverbs 10:19).

“A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue” (Proverbs 11:12).

4. Do I patiently look under the surface?

When we remember there’s a lot going on behind the scenes in everyone’s lives, this helps us develop wisdom. And when we overlook someone’s surface reactions, we can discover a better way to lead him or her.

“The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters; but a man of understanding draws them out” (Proverbs 20:5). #Leadership goes behind the curtain.

“A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11). Leaders must sometimes overlook.

5. Do I try too hard to understand God’s ways?

“God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy & hardens whom he wants to harden” (Romans 9:18). We must bow to a mysterious God.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).

This last point may be the wisest of all: No matter how much wisdom the Lord grants us, or how many questions we ask, we will never understand all his ways. Fortunately, his Word reveals what we need to know here and now.

Click “HERE” to purchase your “Servant Leader Strong – Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership” book.