Moses - An Analytical Leader
Moses is a good example of the kind of analytical leadership style who tended to want out of leadership. Yet, he functioned superbly when God called him.
When first approached by the idea of leadership in Ex. 4:1-17, Moses hesitated to take on the responsibility of leading Israel. He said, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ’The Lord did not appear to you?" Then the Lord said, "What is that in your hand?" A staff, he replied. The Lord said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the Lord said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. "This, is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob - has appeared to you." Then Moses said, "Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue. The Lord said to him. "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
Moses needed a lot of coaxing before he was ready to take on the responsibilities of leading 2 million Israelites. He tried postponement, he tried defer to Aaron,. and he complained about his own lack of abilities. Yet, Moses eventually resigned himself to God’s will. Analytical leaders often hesitate to take on responsibilities, but once they commit themselves to a task, do it superbly.
Once leadership is assumed by the analytical, he struggles to overcome his tendency to be angry with God, people, and even himself. When Moses struck the rock out of anger and unbelief, it prevented him from experiencing all that God had for him. From that day forward, Moses was not able to enter the promise land. His act of disobedience indicates the tendency that analytical leaders have in failing to see that logic can only take one so far. They must realize that there is a need to peacefully, trusting, and resigningly wait on God to act. Moses failed to be able to see that by his act of defiance he had lost a measure of credibility. Moses demonstrated an immaturity that in effect renounced all that he had stood for. A few dark plots can easily drag an analytical leader down to the depths of depression which is difficult for him to climb out of.
Yet, Moses, as an analytical leader, evidenced such a rich devotion to God that the Bible says, "Moses spoke to God face to face, as a man speaks with his friend." (Ex. 33:11) The analytical leader needs to constantly be reassured that God is present with him. He fears being all alone in making a decision that may effect people adversely. It is easier for the analytical leader to find his identity in Christ than the many others since he generally does not like himself. No wonder Moses said to the Lord "You have been telling me, ’Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said ’I know you by name and you have found favor with me.; If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.
The Lord said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?
And the Lord said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."
Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."
And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. "But", he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."
Then the Lord said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."
Moses has matured to the point where he is asking, knocking, and seeking the Lord in his leadership responsibilities. It is Moses’ concentration on winning the favor of God that allows him to succeed more than anything. Since Moses’ is looking to please God in all respects before seeking to bear fruit in every good work, the Lord promises Him the blessings of His Presence. The analytical leader knows how to focus on the priorities of God above the physical, social, or cultural concerns of his people or situation. We all need analytical leaders around to help us concentrate our primary energies on pleasing God by doing His will first so that all others things will eventually fall into their rightful places. Notice, that Moses does not want the promise land without the Presence and blessing of God. Analytical leaders are ultra sensitive to the fact that whatever one does, where he is, or whatever reasons he is doing things cannot succeed without the abiding Presence of the Almighty. The analytical leader knows that it is God’s presence alone that assures victory, truth, and success - nothing else. The Presence of God is the distinguishing identifying mark of the Spirit led analytical leader. This is one of the reasons that the analytical, though moody, is usually one of the most consistent of the leadership styles.
It is very hard for the analytical leader to contradict his principles for situational ethical decisions. The analytical leader, assured of the Presence of God, is given extra boldness, strength, and wisdom to accomplish great things. Many of the early missionaries to Africa possessed this leadership style. Dispossessed of everything familiar, they knew how to navigate through the wilderness. They were able to establish the Christian church throughout Africa which now claims more than 350 million believers. The analytical leader is firm in his reliance on the promises of God as he is re-assured of God’s presence in Christ. He has an extraordinary ability to plummet the depths of the meanings of what it implies to be "In Christ."
The analytical leader continues to yearn for a glimpse of the glory of God before he makes a move. The independent followers recognize that to gain the blessings of God is not so much a matter of earning it, as it is having it bestowed on one from God. Therefore, the independent follower and analytical leader are able to sustain themselves even when they seemed to be oppressed, distressed, or misunderstood by those around them. Throughout the history of the church, more successful Spirit filled leaders came from this leadership style than all others put together. The secret of their success seems to lie in their ability to speak to God intimately as Moses did as they draw on His strength, resources, and sustaining grace in good, neutral, and bad times.
