On Matters of Leadership: The Biblical Example of Daniel

Photo: Daniel Dela Dunoo

Our world today is bedevilled with a myriad of challenges. Critical to finding viable solutions to these drawbacks is the issue of leadership at all levels. Leadership is integral to turning around the fortunes of any given community.

Africa`s problems (and much of the world`s problems) have largely been an issue of the quality of leadership it has had. Indeed our world is plagued with what i term ‘crises of leadership’. In the past week a major scandal rocked the Ghana Football Association (GFA) leding to full scale investigations and the resignation of the widely known president of the Association, Kwesi Nyantakyi who apparently doubles as the 1st vice president for Confederation of African Football (CAF). This followed the latest investigative work of Anas Aremeyaw Anas, the famed Ghanaian investigative journalist, uncovering widespread financial malfeasance, bribery and corruption involving many football administrators, referees and many at management levels of GFA. This is just one of the many scandals that have made headlines in Ghana and across the globe. 

The reality is that, our world is in dire need of leaders who are men and women of integrity, and whose priority is to better the lot of their followers.

Our case study for today`s post is a Biblical character who goes by the name Daniel. We will also briefly touch on the leadership example of Joseph.

An exceptional public official

The story is told of Daniel, a young Jewish boy of royal descent who was taken captive to Babylon together with his town folks. By a twist of circumstances this young boy was recruited and trained to serve in the palace of the Emperor of the most powerful nation in the then known world - Babylon.

           

Monumental challenges notwithstanding, he discharged his duties creditably to such an extent that he was given some promotions and retained in public service under the reign of two Babylonian kings and two Medo-Persian kings (two empires) spanning approximately seventy years. His story is a remarkable one and can be read in its entirety in the book of Daniel which happens to be one of the books of the Bible.

In my estimation Daniel`s life as a public official in a foreign land serves as a blue-print of what it means to be an exceptional public official. I seek to glean from this enigmatic administrator / advisor values and lessons that when imbibed by public officials will do the nations of the world a great deal of good and will enhance their effectiveness as facilitators and accelerators of national development.

           

Loyalty at its best

As earlier noted, Daniel served under several governments. Indeed, he served in a nation that was responsible for the annilation of his beloved country - Judah. That notwithstanding, he maintained his allegiance to these governments and worked for the common good as long as he was not required to compromise his moral and spiritual values. This ought to be the attitude of public officials irrespective of the government they are called or required to serve under. Their priority ought to be loyalty to the State and they must seek the common good of the citizenry irrespective of their political, religious and tribal affiliations. The good of the nation ought to be the public official`s priority and not the parochial interests of “political partisanship”.

Integrity at its best

Daniel was exceptional, in that, he was not only loyal and diligent in the discharge of his duties but was also a man of integrity; a public service holder in a pagan nation who maintained his integrity throughout his career which lasted for several decades.

At one point, his colleague administrators became jealous of his accomplishments. They sought to have cause to implicate him and so intigated the initiation of investigations into Daniel`s dealings as a public official. Their labours met with disappointment since they could find no single act of either corruption or negligence on Daniel`s part. Obviously, his life of integrity paid off in the long run (Daniel 6:1-28).

           

An exceptionl public official abhors corruption and discharged his duties so meticulously to such an extent that he or she can never be faulted for either corruption or negligence.  It is my candid opinion that the nations of the world will do very well if corruption and negligence are reduced considerably, if not curtailed entirely. No one will have cause to charge any government official with the crime of causing financial loss to the State or looting the national coffers.

Sound spirituality at its best    

Occasionally, Daniel came face to face with death and encountered monumental challenges. His habitual recourse was to spend some time in prayer. No wonder he always came up tops. He always found a way around his challenges. The exceptional public official, when in a dilemma or a crises season, even after seeking counsel from others, makes time to seek God`s face for his grace and guidance. Great leaders such as Abraham Lincoln made time to commune with God during crucial moments in their political careers.

           

A notable solution provider

An exceptional public official is a problem solver and not a complainer. Daniel was such an individual. Where his compatriots failed, he seemed to always come up with a viable solution. Indeed public officials are either appointed or elected to help find lasting solutions to the problems that latch themselves around the nation; finding solutions to the myriad of challenges facing the nation with the goal to accelerating national development must be every public official`s priority.

The story is also told of Joseph, a Jewish slave who was appointed prime minister of Egypt, only subject to the king. He ably discharged his duties that impacted the nation of Egypt postively; he proffered a viable agricultural solution that sustained Egypt and many other nations throughout  a period of world-wide famine that lasted for seven long years (Genesis 41:42).

           

At this point, I will highly recommend the book of Daniel (especially the first six chapters) to every public official. Reading this portion of Scripture will challenge you to stand out rather than blend in; you will be propelled to exude nothing short of excellence, loyalty and integrity in your field of endeavor. Dare to be an exceptional leader. Yes, you can!

PS: Thanks for dropping by. If you had a good read, kindly share this post with your contacts. 

Daniel Dela Dunoo

Email: dudelda3@yahoo.com