Outline for Leadership - Psalm 72-74

If you have ever wanted to know what a good leader looks like you can turn to a lot of places. There are hundreds and hundreds of books out on the subject and it doesn't take much to have a thought on leadership and write a book (I know, I've done exactly that). But, when a great leader writes something and gives you the clues to his great leadership you should take a moment and read his material. I think I am a much better leader because I read what great leaders say about their leadership. Psalm 72 is one of those examples. This Psalm may be short and it may not rise to the top ten reading list of the New York Times (highly overrated list by the way ... and, I'm not just saying that because my book didn't make their list). This Psalm, however, may be one of the best outlines for what a great leader should be. Note in the first verse that David asks that His leadership have two vital components: First, he wants to make sure that as a leader he is leading and judging like God would. That is the key to any leaders true success. To be a God-like, mirror-image is to be a good leader. But, the second aspect of a good leader is in the transition to whoever follows you. In the second part of the fist verse of this Psalm David asks God to make sure that His Godly leadership impacts those who will follow and lead after him. Too many leaders today only worry about their own legacy and their own success. Hezekiah made that mistake when warned by God bad things would happen after his death. He was simply happy that he would have peace in "his day" (2 Kings 20:19). This Psalm outlines what a good leader should do and how he/she should behave. Read it again sometime and simply think about how verse one is explained and elaborated upon in the rest of the chapter. But, realize that David is not simply concerned about his own leadership. David knew that a good leader is as much worried about those who follow after he is gone as he is about those who follow while he is in charge.