John Stanko

"If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked" - Proverbs 29:12.

Proverbs is a practical book that contains guidance on finances, child rearing, relationships, and leadership, just to name a few categories it addresses. Today's verse is directed toward leaders and warns them that they will reap what they sow in the area of ethics. If a leader loses integrity, then before they know it, they will be surrounded by unethical followers, all telling the leader what they want to hear. If that is true, then the opposite must also be true—integrity and ethical behavior will tend to attract other ethical followers and employees. Leaders must pay attention not only to their bottom line, but how that bottom line is being achieved and what effect that bottom line is having on employees, customers, society in general, and the environment.

LEADERSHIP STEP: Your Step today is one for the long haul and that is to build an ethical leadership framework by reading through the book of Proverbs. As you read, substitute the word 'leader' any time you see the word 'king,' 'prince,' 'ruler,' or any other leadership role. As you restate those verses, study to see what those verses say to leaders about communication, business practices, decision making, or any other leadership activity. Once you have your list, study it and diligently apply what you learned.