John Stanko

"When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi" - Matthew 2:16.

The hallmark of authoritarian leaders is anger. They believe they own what they lead (sometimes they do) and they are infuriated when someone does something to their 'baby.' This anger can be expressed verbally or in actions that let everyone know who is in charge and the consequences for failure or disobedience. What's more, in this verse we see that Herod did not have a succession plan, except that his sons would take over, but only upon his death. In some ways, authoritarian leaders believe they will live a long time, if not forever, and plan on holding on to their power until the bitter end.

LEADERSHIP STEP: Today's Leadership Step is for you to reflect on the role that power plays in your leadership role. You can measure that by your anger level. How angry do you get when people do 'dumb' things or when they disappoint or fall short of your expectations? How do you express this anger? Do you show it and you don't even know it? If your anger level is high, then ask God to show you the root source of your anger and determine to change your style.