The men that surrounded King David hold a treasure of lessons for us in leadership and organization dynamics. A handful are known as “mighty men” who did great exploits. But more than that, they were fallible beings caught up in webs of intrigue and politics.
The way they handled situations and the consequences hold timeless wisdom we can apply today. Most of the posts on this blog draw from this cast of characters and reference them as archetypes for the kinds of situations we face in our every day work lives. I also included the story of Tamar, who is integral to the narrative.
Ambitious and gifted…but also a sledgehammer
Spoke truth to power with narrative + data
Got past moping to influence change
Power player, takes advantage of the vulnerable
Overcame self-doubt to take his place at the table
Adonijah
Succession planning gone awry
Watch out for entitlement
Unresolved issues fester
Benaiah
Got the job done right, without excuses
Zadok
Faithful to God and men, leaves a legacy
For context, check out these Bible Project videos that summarize the books of the Bible where we find these characters, linked below.