There's a lot of great leadership advice found in the book of Proverbs. Quite possibly that's because Solomon -- who authored most of the Proverbs -- was one of the most capable leaders to be found in all of history.

You've heard of empire builders like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. You know about great statesmen and presidents like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt. You probably recognize and even admire Winston Churchill's and Nelson Mandela's leadership skills for times of crisis and change.

But all of these great leaders pale in comparison to Solomon. And Solomon sings the praises of collaboration and teamwork. He encourages leaders not to rush into decisions, but to take the time to listen to wise counsel and proceed on the basis of good, solid advice.

Leaders make decisions. That's what they do. But they don't do it alone. They search God's word for divine wisdom, and they surround themselves with great friends and advisers.

"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed" (Proverbs 15:22, NIV).

Lord, give me the counsel I need to lead wisely. Open my ears, my mind and my heart to listen to the advice of my friends and advisers. Guide me to make good decisions that bring glory to you.

Our Bible reading for Thursday, June 25, is 1 Kings 14:21 - 16:7, Acts 16:16-40 and Proverbs 15:21-30.

Header image based on "Accept good advice" by Celestine Chua, CC By 2.0