The Law of the Inner Circle Part 8
Inner-Circle Qualities
The following qualities spell out the words inner circle. Look for these traits in the people you depend on most:
Influential—Everything begins with influence. If you want to extend your reach, you must attract and lead other leaders. More than 1,200 leaders are mentioned in the list of warriors who came to David (1 Chr. 12:23-37).
Networking—Who people know is just as important as what they know. When David hid from Saul, he was able to escape with the help of those who cared about him.
Nurturing—People who care about each other take care of each other. Your inner circle should prop you up. Certainly, Jonathan is the best example of a nurturer in David’s life. He loved David unconditionally, encouraged him, and guarded his life.
Empowering—The members of your inner circle should enable you to achieve more than you could alone. David’s mighty men empowered him to accomplish incredible things.
Resourceful—Inner-circle members should always add value. When David desired to conquer Jerusalem, he offered to make the man who led the charge chief over his army (2 Sam. 5:6-10)—and Joab won control of the armed forces.
Character-driven—The character of an inner-circle member matters more than any other quality. People of weak character in David’s inner circle cost him dearly. But people of strong character often helped to steer him out of trouble.
Intuitive—While every person is naturally intuitive in his area of gifting, that doesn’t mean everyone uses his or her intuition. As you seek members for your inner circle, rely on those who have learned to trust their instincts.
Responsible—Those closest to you should never leave you hanging. If you ask them to carry the ball, they must follow through. David’s companions made his cause their own.
Competent—You can’t get anything done if your people can’t do their jobs. You don’t need world-class performers exclusively, but all of your inner-circle people must perform with excellence. The skill of David’s people helped make him great.
Loyal—Loyalty alone does not make people candidates for your inner circle, but lack of loyalty definitely disqualifies them. David’s people stuck with him even to death. Don’t keep anyone close to you that you cannot trust.
Energetic—Energy covers a multitude of mistakes, for it helps a person to keep coming back, failure after failure. Without tenacity, David and his men never would have survived in the wilderness, nor would they have made the nation secure from its enemies.
Look Around!
When God wants a leader to do something of value for Him, He provides that leader with the individuals to get the job done. That was true for David, and it will be true for you. All you need to do is look around.
Join me next time for The Law of the Inner Circle Part 9
