We are in a leadership crisis in the United States. A couple of weeks ago the Wall Street Journal ranked California as one of the worst run states in the nation. When we were thriving in wealth a few years ago, we spent it. Although we live in one of the most prosperous areas of the world, today our state is in financial disaster.

We certainly have a leadership crisis in business. Tom Peters wrote two years ago, "In the next five years, leadership is going to emerge as the most important element of business-an attribute that is highest in demand and shortest in supply." Two years into his five year prediction, we are seeing the results of this huge void in leadership.

Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas recorded 473 CEO departures in the first five months of 2001. Although many of these were from mergers, many were because of the failure to lead successfully.

And the church is not doing much better. George Barna writes about the church:

The people who fill the positions of leadership in churches today are, for the most part, teachers-good people, lovers of God, well-educated, gifted communicators-but not leaders. They do not have or understand vision. They are incapable of motivating and mobilizing people around God's vision. They fail to direct people's energies and resources effectively and efficiently. For the church to become strong again, we must heed the guidance of the leaders God has called and gifted for that purpose, while growing through the focused teaching of those who are gifted to explicate his Word and its profound implications for our lives.

I see this crisis as a great time for Christians to fill the huge leadership gap in business, schools, government, and the church. We have great examples in the Scriptures, and today I'm going to begin a series of four sermons in which we will examine how four resilient leaders thrived in turbulent times. They were not perfect, but they led and made a difference. This study has applications for all arenas of leadership: home, youth leadership, business, organization, government, and church.

The four people we will examine are:

• King Solomon: He outlines six ways of being a leader.
• David the Shepherd King: He faced the giant of intimidation with four courage builders.
• Moses the Liberator: He changed the course of history and a whole culture by the forgotten leadership skill-he listened.
• John the Baptist-a humble mover and shaker: He faced his self-doubt when success turned sour (he was in prison), and he got a lesson from Christ in the foundation of faith for leadership.

A. Tom mckee states that we have a leadership crisis in america. Do you agree? Why or why not?

B. Do you agree with mckee when he says leaders must make meaning? Why or why not?

C. What criteria or standard do you use for determining what is right and wrong?

D. In the workplace, when your superior is giving you guidance or advice, what do you think this person uses as a basis for their advice as it relates to human relations, supervision, etc.?