12 Ducere Est Servire: THE LEADERSHIP JOURNAL OF DALLAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY thetic form of listening that seeks to truly understand the other person’s paradigm and point of view.21 Patrick Lencioni illustrates that leaders must be willing to listen to wisdom from any source. In his book, The Ideal Team Player, Lencioni describes a situation in which a business is in the process of deciding who to hire for an important position. The CEO turns to the office receptionist for her thoughts on hiring a particular applicant. The assistant’s opinion confirms for the CEO that he should not move forward with hiring the candidate.22 Leaders who learn to boast about their weakness by listening heed the advice of Proverbs 15:22, which states that, “Without counsel, plans fail, but with many advisers, they succeed.” These leaders are more likely to experience success in their endeavors due to the collective wisdom of others. Moreover, gaining input from others helps a leader to grow in self-awareness while exposing potential blind spots that enable the leader to grow in effectiveness. Weak Leaders Wait Another significant way leaders can boast of their weaknesses is through waiting. This may be one of the most complex traits of weakness for a leader to embody. The reason is simple: waiting is hard. Waiting reveals how the leader is not in control and is at the mercy of other factors that prevent the leader from taking action. Waiting tests the leader’s patience and resolve as he allows other forces to determine the course of action. Waiting is also a theme that is prevalent in Scripture. The concept of waiting is often tied to waiting on the Lord for Him to work to provide, protect, and care for the needs of His children. Isaiah 64:4 states that God loves to work for those who wait on Him. Jesus builds on this and declares in Mark 10:45 that the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. The message is clear. God wants to work in the lives of those who wait on Him. Waiting is a visible demonstration of weakness and dependence upon the Lord to work. Leaders who can wait for God to work demonstrate trust in Him. Scripture is also clear that those who wait on God will not be dis-
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