1 Samuel 18:6-9 (NLT):
“6 When the victorious Israelite army was returning home after David had killed the Philistine, women from all the towns of Israel came out to meet King Saul. They sang and danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals. 7 This was their song:
“‘Saul has killed his thousands,
and David his ten thousands!’
“8 This made Saul very angry. ‘What’s this?’ he said. ‘They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!’ 9 So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.”
In this story, Saul is the boss and David is the employee. Saul hired David to be his mercenary or security guard, and, over time, David won every battle and secured victory for Saul. The issue was that David gained notoriety because of his success and Saul became resentful of people praising his subordinate. A key aspect of being a successful leader is not feeling threatened by your workers. Be confident in where you are, what you have and what you can do. Saul should have been celebrating with his people since his enemy was defeated and he was no longer at risk.
I have seen too many instances in business where bosses felt threatened by their employees. As business owners, our goal should be to leverage their skills to help our businesses grow. Use their gifts and talents to help the business thrive and do not worry about credit. Focus on the fruits of their labor. If you have a successful employee or manager running your business well, give them all the credit because, at the end of the day, they are helping your bottom line. Never allow their gifts to threaten you. Stay in your lane!
Prayer:
Lord, give me the wisdom I need so that I will not feel threatened by my employees. Help me to encourage them and celebrate their victories. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Except from: 60 Prayers in 60 Seconds, Page 46.
