The Flaws that Define Kings

"Those whom the gods would destroy they first make proud." ~ Sophocles

Recently I happened to reread the Biblical story of David from the perspective of a scholar of the earth on principles of leadership and greatness, especially those which hinder legendary eminence. It was an eye-opener in many aspects especially on the trials and triumphs of a leader at the peak of his powers, at the top of his game; a man who conquered Goliath but could not sort out the demons in his family. A King with access to the whole world but who had to kill one man in service to the kingdom, for his only wife. It can never be an exhaustive synopsis, but allow me to share 3 challenging facets I garnered and which I have been privileged to experience:

Altitude

You can climb too high for your own good. It’s possible to ascend too far, stand too tall, and elevate too much. Linger too long at high altitudes, and two of your senses suffer. Your hearing dulls. It’s hard to hear people when you are higher than they. Voices grow distant. Sentences seem muffled. And when you are up there, your eyesight dims. It’s hard to focus on people when you are so far above them. They appear so small. Little figures with no faces. You can hardly distinguish one from the other. They all look alike. You don’t hear them. You don’t see them. You are above them, on top of them. You are in the struggle of HILL under the cloud of altitude sickness.?

Perhaps David climbed too high too quickly; from neglected shepherd-boy and melody maker to giant slayer, King’s confidant, exorcist, warrior and powerful leader of God’s chosen people. You’d think David had stayed long enough in the valley to know what to do when he got to the mountaintop. There’s good reason why climbing guides insist on periodic pauses as you scale a mountain, so that your body can acclimatize to the heights and the thin air, and for you to build the endurance and survivability for that level and the next. This strategy should be mandatory in corporate and public sector roles; more often than not, leaders who rise through the ranks get acquainted with and execute better on each level as they ascend the ladder.

Attitude

David ‘sends’ many times in the (Bathsheba) story (2Sam 11:2-27). He sends Joab to battle (v.1). He sends the servant to inquire about Bathsheba (v.3). He sends for Bathsheba to have her come to him (v.4). When David learns of her pregnancy, he sends word to Joab (v.6) to send Uriah back to Jerusalem. David sends him to Bathsheba to rest, but Uriah is too noble. David opts to send Uriah back to a place in the battle where he is sure to be killed. Thinking his cover-up is complete, David sends for Bathsheba and marries her (v.27). We don’t like this sending, demanding David… What has happened to him?

Simple. Attitude syndrome can lie fallow for long, but with time it seeps through into daily life. In the haughty high David can no longer reason like he used to, can no longer hear as he used to, meaning the warnings of the servant or the voice of his conscience are inaudible. Just like his Lord. He has no desire to hear; no WILL to do right. This is an almost impossible flaw. Leaders who don’t listen are quickly surrounded by ‘yes people’ who have nothing to say. I have not asked you to name any bosses who do little more than sending left right and centre, but you can tell the type from their output when devoid of people to send. The only disability in life remains a bad attitude.

Aptitude

It was never in David to have the ability to execute murder. Shepherd boy yes. Warrior son absolutely. Purveyor of deft slingshots, conqueror of Goliath and liberator of an oppressed people, by God. Worshipper and player of musical instruments by all means. Absolutely exceptional writer and poet. Even strategist of war. Thespian too, where he fled Saul’s wrath to Philistine and lived among his enemies while pretending to be loco so that they would regard him as harmless. Humane, unassuming. These were strong competencies that he reveled in and the exercise of which lifted him above the common man, to that lofty place where only legends operated; a zone that brought his competencies to the fore.?

The man was a master-strategist with that unique mindsight. Premeditated murder? Scheming for selfish gain? This is the irony of being humble but self-possessed. David apportioned to himself nefarious competencies that he did not possess; major SKILL gap. I know the great Richard Branson recommends that we take up roles even those beyond us and learn on the job by growing into them. But if you’re a champion duck at least let the new role have something to do with water, even if just in name.

In summary? "He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." ~ Epictetus