Leading From the Middle

As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said. Joshua 14:11‭-‬12 KJV

Sometimes our focus is so much on the major characters that we may miss important things. There’s a friendly reader who called our attention to Caleb. He told me, ” You didn’t give Caleb enough time”. Indeed. We didnt. Here is one for you Pastor Balepo. Some of us may never be able to lead up front like Joshua. But we can lead wherever we are. Scott Mautz and John Maxwell have done some work in this area. Scot calls his book: Leading From the Middle. John Maxwell calls his The 360 Degree Leader. They both make excellent read. Scots thesis is that, ” Managers (can) Influence Up, Down, and Across the Organization (delivering) an insightful and practical guide for the backbone of an organization: those who have a boss and are a boss and must lead from the messy middle”. John Maxwell on the other hand is concerned with influencing people from all sides. According to him, ” Ninety-nine percent of all leadership occurs not from the top but from the middle..” Caleb was a middle level leader. God had picked Joshua to be the main leader. Caleb recognized that, and went to him. That is where our verse came from. Only him and Joshua were left. So he asked for the mountain of Anakims. By now he was 85 years old. He demonstrates faith in the God who does not change. Read the verses again. Yesterday, we said you can still do it. Today we emphasis, even in your old age, you still can. Time has not passed you by. Get out and conquer the world.