The best leadership ingredient every person must have is not vision, charisma, or having the right people in the bus. Those are important things a leader must have but I found out there is something else far more important than that.

While reading through 1 Samuel 14, Saul did something pretty amazing as a leader. He would spot the right people and put them in his team. Talk about leadership. Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, says to bring your organization to greatness, you have to get the right people in the bus.

1Sam. 14:52 Now there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man, he took him for himself.

But 1 Samuel did not end in chapter 14:52. In the next verse which is 1 Samuel 15:1 here was the ingredient every leader must have.

1Sam. 15:1 Samuel also said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the LORD.

The leader must not only have right people in the bus but he must learn how to obey God’s voice. You can have the best team, the prophet Samuel on your side but if you don’t heed the voice of God then you might end up like Saul:

1Sam. 15:10 ¶ Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying,
1Sam. 15:11 “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night.

Biblical and effective leadership requires that we obey God. Leadership is a gift from God. We must be great stewards of that gift. The best mission statement or having the right people in the bus  won’t cut it out if you choose to abuse and misuse God’s gift of leadership upon your life. It is the Lord who sent us on a mission and all we need to do is stick to the plan.

1Sam. 15:18 Now the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, “Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’
1Sam. 15:19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?”

Because of Saul’s rebellion against God’s leadership God rejected Him and took his leadership away.

1Sam. 15:22 So Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
1Sam. 15:23     For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.

The end result of God taking away your leadership is that with it, he takes away the right people in your bus. Samuel departed Saul and Saul asked that he stay so that the people might still honor him as king.

1Sam. 15:30 Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD your God.”

Saul’s leadership is a sad picture of leadership gone wild. He had the skills needed to be a great leader but because he rebelled against God – the gift of leadership was taken away from him rendering all his skills in building a great organization useless.