1 Kings 1:5
“Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.”
You often read books and articles about what makes great leaders, but often miss the important principles of what makes poor leadership. Poor leadership reveals what type of leadership is good. Studying the negative side of leadership will point out what you should not do, but it can also teach what you should do.
Adonijah is one of those people in the Scriptures who shows us what makes up poor leadership. When his father was old, and he knew that his days were numbered, he arrogantly proclaimed himself to be the king. If it wasn’t for the Prophet Nathan stepping in, Israel easily could have had this poor character as their king. You will find in Adonijah’s short time of leadership several characteristics that make a poor leader.
First, poor leadership points to themselves. It says in the verse above, “Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself,…” This man was so filled with pride that he wanted everyone to see how great he thought he was. You will find that great leaders don’t point to themselves, but they point to the one whom they represent. A great pastor will point to Christ. A great political leader will point to the greatness of their country.
Second, poor leadership desires position. Adonijah said, “I will be king:…” He was not appointed to this position. He was not elected to this position; instead, he lobbied for this position. The poorest leader will be one who desires position. One of the reasons there are so many poor political leaders today is because many of them have campaigned their whole adult life for that position. Some of the greatest leaders of history were not one’s who wanted the position, but they were one’s who others begged to take the position. Poor leadership fills their time trying to get position while great leadership fills their time doing what they are supposed to do.
Third, poor leadership will not follow the advice of previous generations. It says about Adonijah that he did not confer with the mighty men who followed his father. You will find that poor leadership often despises the successes of previous generations. You will often find that poor leadership will belittle the successes of previous generations in order to build themselves and their “successes.” The only way poor leadership will look great is to belittle what previous generations have done.
Fourth, poor leadership is wasteful. In verse 9, Adonijah wasted sheep, oxen and cattle in abundance. Poor leadership does not understand the value of using their resources wisely. Poor leadership will always look how they can spend what they have instead of saving and giving back to their followers.
Whenever you look for someone to lead you, your family, or your church, always be sure that they don’t have the characteristics of poor leadership. Poor leadership can look enamoring, but they will eventually hurt you and those whom you love. When looking for leadership, do what Jeremiah did in Jeremiah 5:5, “I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD,…” You will always be safe if you get to those who “have known the way of the LORD.”