Seminary starts back tomorrow! The class I’m taking this term at Liberty is called Biblical Foundations of Christian Leadership. Our books are “Biblical Foundations of Leadership” by Dr. Elmer Towns and “Developing the Leader Within You” by John Maxwell. Our first discussion board post takes a look at the four temperaments revealed in the leadership of Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph. Here is my post:
Spirit-Controlled Temperament was the first book written by Dr. LaHaye. It was first published in 1966. The book is designed to help you understand why you function the way you do. It helps define who you are and why you do the things you do. Each of us is born with a certain temperament and unique strengths and weaknesses. In Spirit-Controlled Temperament, Dr. LaHaye shows us how God puts those strengths and weaknesses together to make you a dynamic and effective Christian. In order to be an effective leader you must be aware of your temperament and the temperaments of those on your team, especially those closest to you.
The four main temperaments that he defines in the book are Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholy, and Phlegmatic. Dr. Towns has written summaries of each of the Four Temperaments for us to explore as they relate to leaders in the Bible. I have listed descriptions of each of the temperaments along with a description of how each group functions.
First, the sanguine personality is one who is “warm, buoyant, lively” and cheerful. This person is very much in touch with their emotions, and will relate well to others. He is likable, and always the life of the party. He has many friends, and likes being with them. He generally is not drawn to solitude. He is usually a charmer and makes a good salesperson or entertainer. Women are often sanguine, in their nurturing, personal natures, usually very warm in their relationships. Sanguines are also often restless and can be on the disorganized side, which makes it hard for people to follow them. His greatest needs are self-control, patience, faith, and peace.
The second type is the choleric. The choleric is one who is practical, “active and strong-willed.” He gets things done; he is “independent, self-sufficient, decisive and opinionated… he has endless ideas, plans and ambitions.” He welcomes challenges and even problems to be solved, as he pursues his goal single-mindedly. He is not a quitter, and is a natural leader. However, because he is so focused on his goal, he often rubs people the wrong way, since he rarely has time to see how they are responding to his pursuit of his goal. He is usually not interested in the arts, but is more utilitarian. He is often domineering and even prideful. Because he is strong-willed, and so competent, he has difficulty in surrendering to God. Once they finally surrender, this person will often do great things for the Lord. He makes a good CEO or leader. The choleric needs to Holy Spirit to meet them in the areas of love, peace, gentleness, patience, meekness, and goodness.
The third type, melancholy, is the perfectionist, who notices and often dwells on the flaws in things, and is very neat and orderly. He tends to be introverted and sometimes moody. When he experiences a high he may be more outgoing, or even very creative, but if not, he is shy and retiring. He is slow to make friends, but once he makes a friend, he is a faithful one, and will do almost anything for his friends. In a planning meeting he will often see the pitfalls and dangers of any project, and may be a thorn in the side of the achiever who wants to forge ahead. He is usually willing to sacrifice himself for a program or a friend. A good number of the geniuses of this world-architects, artists, musicians, inventors, philosophers, educators- had a melancholy temperament. The melancholy has to be aware of the tendency to become self-centered and needs the Spirit to fill them with love, peace, patience, and faith.
The fourth type, the phlegmatic, is the calm, easy-going person. He is often slow moving, and does not get ruffled easily. The phlegmatic is usually easy to get along with, and has many friends, but is sometimes so laid back that he doesn’t get around to things he should do. He will often not volunteer for a leadership role, but if he somehow falls into it, he does well. He is able to make peace between feuding parties. He tends to see the humorous side of human nature, and may, with his dry humor, poke fun at others in a hilariously funny way. The phlegmatic is often known for being late!
Dr. Towns shows us how each of these temperaments show up in the lives of Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph. First of all, let’s take a look at Abraham, the entrepreneurial leader. Dr. Towns points out that the entrepreneurial leader is often Choleric in temperament. That means that his strengths are that he is independent, strong-willed, and very task oriented. That showed up in Abraham’s life when God called him to lead his people to the Promised Land. It was a long-term commitment, but one that Abraham was willing to see through. His weaknesses as a Choleric meant that he often overlooked the needs of those around him. He and Sarah tried for many years to have a child. Abraham had pretty much given up when God told him that he would father a child. He and Sarah were not patient enough to wait for God to give them a child, so they decided for Abraham to sleep with Sarah’s servant Hagar. That union produced a son named Ishmael. It also caused God to ask Abraham why he didn’t trust him. God provided an opportunity for Abraham to see his provision. He allowed Sarah to get pregnant at a very old age and give birth to a son Isaac. God told Abraham to take his son Isaac up on a mountain and sacrifice him to the Lord. Abraham trusted God and had faith. Just before Abraham sacrificed Isaac, God provided a ram to be the sacrifice. This was a great opportunity for Abraham to grow in his faith. There were several threats along the way that could have sidetracked Abraham, but through them all, Abraham was able to keep his thoughts on God’s promise and encouraged his family to press on.
The second leader we looked at was Jacob who is defined as the pragmatic leader. He was known for doing what it took to accomplish the goals God set out for him. Jacob was also known as a Choleric. Cholerics and pragmatic leaders often are weak in the area of utilizing their team to the fullest extent. Many times those around them are left in the dark about the task until it is time for the leader to be celebrated. One of Jacob’s greatest strengths was being a hard worker. He was willing to do whatever it took to be able to provide for his own household. He put together a plan that would help him accomplish that goal. One of the best opportunities Jacob took advantage of was the ability to maintain his integrity. He removed the speckled and spotted goats to insure that his sons would have only the best assets. He also recognized that his success was threatened by a variety of new problems that seemed to spring up around every corner. By staying true to the task at hand, Jacob was able to accomplish the goals he set out and was able to encourage his team to work with him to solve the problems that came up along the way.
The third leader we studied was Joseph. He is one of my favorite Bible characters. He is called “a man of integrity and forgiveness” in the biography written by Chuck Swindoll. He is first identified as the decision-making leader known for coming up with lasting solutions. Joseph is identified as a Choleric. He spent a lot of time alone. He was abandoned by his brothers, rescued by Potiphar, wronged by Potiphar’s wife, forgotten by the cupbearer and the baker, and given a chance to lead by Pharaoh. In the end, it was up to him to rescue his brothers that had forsaken him many years earlier. One of the main strengths we see in the life of Joseph the decision-maker is the ability to solve problems. Even more specifically we see the ability of Joseph to interpret dreams. This gift was used to predict the future on many occasions. Some of the outcomes weren’t so positive, but his dreams and his advice to Pharaoh saved many people from starving to death as a result of the famine in their land. One of Joseph’s main weaknesses was his inability to speak up for himself in some situations. He helped the cupbearer and the baker and they promised to remember him when they got out of jail. Instead, they forgot him for a long time and he just sat in jail. I’m not sure what he could have done otherwise, but he could have made a better deal with them before he interpreted their dreams. One of the best opportunities that Joseph had was to maintain his integrity in situations that other leaders might have compromised in. One of the main threats to his integrity was Potiphar’s wife. She tried to seduce him. He chose to do the right thing and flee, but still ended up in jail. Later in Joseph’s life, we see that the time in jail profited him because it ultimately led him into a partnership with Pharaoh leading Egypt through a very trying time.
Joseph is also identified by Dr. Towns as a strategic leader. Lyle Schaller says that means he had a systematic approach to the future and a frame of reference for evaluating alternatives giving him a tremendous advantage over the person who functions without either. Joseph was a strategic leader when Egypt was facing a famine. Strategic leaders are often known for having a Melancholy temperament. As a Melancholy, Joseph’s strengths lied in his ability to plan ahead and to be very calculated with his movements. Once again he was able to use his gifts of problem solving to meet the needs of the people as they prepared for the famine. His main weaknesses came as a result of people not knowing him and not trusting him. As an introvert, it can be hard to get people to get on board with your plan. His opportunities to lead came very quickly as people realized that he had a plan that worked for their benefit. One threat that was very evident was the reappearance of his brothers back into his life. Many years after they sold him into slavery, they came to him needing his help. They didn’t know who he was and he could have chosen to let them suffer and die. Instead, he responded as a man of integrity and helped them. He was a great mix of a Melancholy and a Choleric. He was strong-willed and analytical, gifted and full of integrity, as well as decisive and self-sacrificing. Many people are a combination of two of the four temperaments.
I would also classify myself as a Choleric Melancholy. I tend to make decisions quickly after looking at all the facts. I know where I stand on issues and am fine being up front or behind the scenes. These qualities can be a strength for me unless they cause me to ignore the abilities of those on my team and their needs. One of my greatest weaknesses is trying to make too many of the decisions. I liked the quote by Richard Nixon, “I have an absolute rule. I refuse to make a decision that somebody else can make. The first rule of leadership is to save yourself for the big decision. Don’t allow your mind to become cluttered with the trivia. Don’t let yourself become the issue.”
Some of the best opportunities I have had to lead come when I pull over to really get to know a person or an issue. My mind tends to be analytical which means that I need to be driven to prayer. Some of the biggest threats come when I focus more on the task and less on the outcome and the impact.
It is interesting to work on a team full of different temperaments and different combinations of talents and abilities. It is then that we are able to see I Corinthians 12 really come alive!