When Assistants Fail.

And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
Exodus 32:2‭, ‬4 KJV

This is the first time Aaron had control of the people since he became a leader. It was time for the full demonstration of his potentials. He failed. The more I read that, the more I wondered. If this thing was not in his mind, how could he so easily give up on God and his brother? The truth is that he gave up on his leadership for popularity. No serious leader does that. Here is Karina Hana-Meskem on this matter: ” Leadership is about doing the right thing at the right time rather than the popular thing…Being a leader is not about being liked”. Aaron should have read that except that it was published in 2015. She continues: ” Leadership is a mindset rather than position. True leaders must stand up for values that they believe in, and live with the consequences”. The problem with Aaron is that he had no values like Moses. He felt he needed to make the people happy. Someone else says that leadership behaviour connected to likeability and popularity usually results in problems with productivity and decision-making. Aaron forgot that every great leadership as demonstrated in the life of his brother, Moses, is based on trust. Popularity is ephemeral and changing. Most assistants make similar mistakes. Respect earned has a more staying power.