Jacob
The Pragmatic Leader
Jacob is classified as the Pragmatic Leader. He was known for leading in a variety of situations and for doing whatever it took to get the job done. There are several examples of Jacob having to regroup and restart his plan in order to do what he knew he had been called to do.
The strengths of a Pragmatic Leader lie in their ability to lead by serving and encouraging others to do the same. People are willing to follow a leader that leads by their actions. It is easy for someone to talk about leadership, but true biblical leadership is centered around servanthood. Another quality of Jacob was his ability to solve problems and to hold people accountable.
Jacob fell in love with Laban’s daughter Rachel. He saw her and wanted to marry her for himself. He asked for Rachel’s hand in marriage. Laban said that he would have to work in his fields for seven years in exchange for the hand of his youngest daughter. At the end of the seven years, Laban gave his daughter to Jacob as he had promised. After the wedding, Jacob saw that Laban had deceived him and given him his daughter Leah instead. It would have been disgraceful to the family if Rachel, the younger daughter, had been married before Leah, the firstborn. Jacob was very upset and went back to Laban to demand Rachel’s hand in marriage. Once again, Laban said that if Jacob worked his fields for seven years, he would give his daughter Rachel to him. This time, at the end of the seven years, Rachel became Jacob’s wife. This showed Jacob’s willingness to do the work that it took to get the job done. It also demonstrates his desire to hold others accountable.
As a result of his Choleric temperament, Jacob had to be aware of his tendency to lose followers and become manipulative just to achieve the goal that God had given him. A Pragmatic Leader must also be vigilant not to sacrifice excellence in favor of finishing the task. Many of these type of leaders fail because they make unacceptable compromises with their character. Early in life Jacob tricked his father Isaac into giving him his blessing by pretending to be his older brother Esau. He wanted Esau’s birthright and their father’s blessing, so he deceived his father in order to gain them both.
Jacob was willing to do what it took to get the job done. He took advantage of the opportunity to regroup when a task seemed to have turned out differently than he believed God intended. He was able to fix problems quickly and make healthy compromises to get things done. His love and perseverance on behalf of Rachel showed that he wanted to protect her from manipulative people.
Some of the main threats he had to be on guard against included the tendency of a Pragmatic Leader to lose focus of the end result in order to accomplish the task. Jacob also had to make choices wisely in order not to lose credibility because of compromise. His dealings with Laban with his daughters and over the payment of his livestock and land became a platform for him to set an example of truth and problem solving.
Emerson said, “Difficulties exist to be surmounted.” The Pragmatic Leader enjoys a challenge and is willing to do what it takes to get the job done. This leader must be on guard against alternative solutions that will allow them to get the job done easily rather than correctly. Hebrews 12: 1-2 reminds us, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”