LEADERSHIP FINDS YOU
You know the pattern. You walk into a room, an organization, or a new work setting with one simple hope: blend in. Do your job. Meet expectations. Stay in the background.
But then it happens.
You notice a need.
Someone observes something in you.
You offer a suggestion.
And before you realize it, you’re leading—whether the task is big or small.
Leadership calls. You answer.
Because it’s already inside you.
As we continue drawing leadership lessons from the life of Moses, we’re reminded that his calling was far more dramatic than ours. Moses spent forty quiet years tending the flocks of his father‑in‑law, Jethro—content, settled, and unseen.
And then everything changed.
A Call That Interrupts the Ordinary
Exodus 3 tells the story:
3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
Moses leads the flock into the wilderness, reaches Horeb, and encounters a bush engulfed in flames—yet not consumed. Curious, he steps closer. God calls his name. Moses responds, “Here I am.” And in that moment, the shepherd becomes a leader.
Moses didn’t wake up expecting a divine assignment. But God had a larger plan. Moses would move from shepherding sheep to shepherding a nation.
Next week we’ll explore Moses’ struggle to accept this role.
Today, we focus on the call itself.
A Note for All Readers
Many of my leadership reflections come from Scripture, but this series is written for everyone—regardless of spiritual background. You don’t need to share my faith to benefit from these insights.
Leadership principles are universal.
They work in boardrooms, classrooms, churches, and communities.
My hope is simple: that these lessons help you grow—personally and professionally—as a leader.
Leadership Begins With a Need
God saw the suffering of His people.
He had a plan to rescue them.
And He chose a leader—Moses—to carry it out.
Your leadership call probably didn’t come from a burning bush. It doesn’t need to.
Your call may look ordinary, but it is no less significant.
The need is real. The vacuum is real. And you are being invited to step into it.
The world is hungry for leaders.
John Maxwell famously said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”
He’s right.
Researcher George Barna echoed this urgency, noting that the American church is losing influence not because of a lack of opportunity or resources, but because of a lack of strong leadership. His conclusion is blunt: “Nothing is more important than leadership.”
This isn’t just true in faith communities.
Politics, business, education, law—every sector is feeling the strain.
Organizations aren’t collapsing from lack of talent. They’re collapsing from lack of leadership.
Think of a simple household example:
If three people are responsible for feeding xthe dog, the dog will starve.
Everyone assumes someone else will step up.
But leadership doesn’t work that way.
You are it.
Two Things Moses Did Right
In this passage, Moses models two essential leadership behaviors:
1. Moses Turned Aside
He noticed something unusual—and he stopped.
He paid attention.
Leadership begins with awareness.
This week, look around you.
What needs do you see?
Where is leadership lacking?
The voice may not come from a bush, but you will sense the pull.
2. Moses Listened
God spoke. Moses listened.
If your worldview doesn’t begin with faith, the call may come through another channel—your conscience, your community, your workplace, your circumstances.
But the call is there.
Leaders are needed. Listen closely.
Your Turn
Leadership has a way of finding you.
Not because you seek it, but because the world needs what you carry.
So today, a simple challenge: Step up.
