Leadership: Solomon

Leadership: Solomon

            In the Old Testament, we witness a transition of rulers in Israel. These rulers were kings chosen by God. After the reign of King David, God picked his son Solomon to be the new king. He was one of the greatest rulers of Israel characterized by his love for God which he expressed through following the instruction given to him by his father, David. His leadership attributes well exhibited by his selflessness where he had a chance to ask God for riches and long life for himself, but he instead chose to ask for wisdom to rule and judge his subjects.

One day, two prostitutes came to Solomon with a case where both were claiming the same child. Solomon being the king and the judge of the people presided over the case. He decided to cut the child into two where each lady would go with one part of the baby. One lady overwhelmingly accepted the decision while the other decided to let the child go rather than see the baby get split into two. King Solomon, the wise judge gave an exceptional ruling that saw the baby given to the rightful mother. When the people of Israel heard about the judgment, they respected him even more.

Solomon exhibited charismatic leadership since he led through personal conviction. He had an unwavering commitment toward the positive change of his people. Solomon like any other charismatic leader was articulated and visionary as he followed his vision unto completion and despite all temptation and obstacles, he remained consistent and dedicated (Moses, 2014).

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan, the former US president, was born in 1911 and was famed by the acting roles he took in various films. During the Second World War, he created training films for the military. Along with John F Kennedy and Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald, was recognized among the most charismatic US president of the last century. He started off as the president of a labor union (The Screen Actors Guild) in the 1950s. His political views changed to conservative from liberal. He started giving motivational talks and later moved onto the national stage in 1964. One of his most charismatic quotes was,’ We can’t help everyone but everyone can help someone.’ He ran for president starting from 1968 and won in 1980. He articulated his political visions in ways that were appealing to his followers (STU, 2014).

In 1979, 52 Americans were taken a hostage in Iran. Reagan was faced with a policy dilemma when he came into the power of whether to use military or continue negotiations to free the hostages. Despite the fact that American had a superior military powers compared to Iran, he still chose talks and finally in January 20th 1981, the hostages got released. Some even believe that the Iranians released the hostages because they knew that the United State of America was not under a weak ruler. According to some sources, the 14 month ordeal took place because the Iranians regarded his predecessor former president Cater to be weak.

Lessons Learned

From the above, I have gained several experiences that can affect my leadership development positively. If I employ the charismatic leadership style exhibited by both leaders, it will make my leadership traits and skills more competitive. Being articulate and visionary and adept in using idiosyncratic behavior my leadership skills will be unconventional. In addition, being organized and committed to a common mission (like President Reagan was committed to his goal to become President) and also inspiring people to work together towards a common course will be a boost to my leadership skills.

References

Brittney Moses. (2014). 7 Acts of Godly We Can Learn From Solomon. Retrieved, 30 September 2018. From: http://m.blogs.christianpost.com/a-generation-after-god/7-acts-of-godly-leadership-we-can-learn-from-solomon-23726/

STU Online. (2014). What Is Charismatic Leadership? Leading Through Personal Conviction. Retrieved, 30 September 2018. From: https://online.stu.edu/articles/education/what-is-chrismatic-leadership.aspx