Genesis Chapter 2-3 Leadership Lesson: Accountability and Choosing Partners

In Chapter 2 and 3, we learn about the creation of Adam and Eve and their subsequent fall from grace.  As I try to pull leadership lessons from these chapters, I begin by seeing someone who gives his followers EVERYTHING they need to be happy and successful.  They had full reign of the Garden of Eden!!!  There was only one stipulation...don't eat from ONE tree.  They could eat from anything else in the world, just not from that one tree.  So far, no brainer...but that is where the lesson starts.

Eve comes into contact w/Satanand begins to be "sold" on the benefits of eating the fruit.  He also convinces her that God is rying to keep Adam and Eve from being "all they can be" by keeping them from the fruit.  Isn't it odd that God had done nothing but give to Eve, and never did anything to call her trust into question, yet Eve was so willing to believe this newcomer.  As a leader, you will experience this all of the time.  Some humans have a terrible habit of always wanting to believe the worst scenario about their leaders.

Next, Eve convinces Adam that the snake, who has done nothing to earn their trust, is more concerned about their well being than God.  This may be the first example in history of peer pressure.  There are times, as a leader, that your people will talk themselves into believing incredible things, based on here say and speculation.  If Adam and Eve would have just gone to God to ask him about the situation, he would have been able to help.  Instead, they convinced themselves that the snake was the one they should risk everything to follow.  The big questions as a leader are: How often have I been the unknowing leader that someone is working against?  How often have I been Adam or Eve and made a decision that went againt the trust that had been built with my leader?  and How often have I been the snake, that derailed the trust and leadership that was built by someone else, in order to gain something for myself?

When God finds out about what happened, it is already to late for him to do anything to prevent the bad outcome.  In the original rules, God had told them that if they eat from the tree they would die.  He made a leadership decision to let them live, but they were punished severely.  There have never been two people MORE set up for success and happiness than Adam and Eve, yet they still failed.  Keep this in mind when you encounter people who make mistakes that are against their nature.  Don't give-up on them, just put appropriate consequences in place to make a point.

As leaders:
1. Don't be surprised when your people believe the most far fetched rumors from the least credible sources

2. Keep a close eye on the external influences that impact your team, and address rumors, with fact, as soon as possible.

3. When your people fail, or make poor choices, stay calm and deal with the consequences.  If Adam and Eve can fall from grace, so can we.

4. Your team will usually cover for each other, even if they have to compromise their normal morals to do it.

5. Don't let them "off the hook" when they make a mistake.  Even if they are fantastic people, they still need to be accountable for their actions.  NEVER JUDGE PEOPLE, BUT ALWAYS HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.