1 Kings 5:6
Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.
When Solomon started building the temple, he hired the Sidonians to cut the timber for this great project. He hired them because they were skilled in hewing timber. They were the best at cutting the trees of the forest. Now, this may sound like a little thing, but it was one of the smartest things Solomon did. Solomon was considered the wisest man of his day, but he was not wise enough to be a good hewer of timber. However, he was wise enough to know his weakness and to place people in positions where he was weak, and that is why he was the wisest man of his day. He was wise enough to know his weaknesses and place people in those areas who were stronger than him in that area. This did not make Solomon a fool or weak, but this was his strength and what made him wise.
The wisest leader is a leader who knows his areas of weakness and surrounds himself with people who are strong in those areas. No person can know everything; therefore, knowing your weaknesses and being wise enough to put people who are strong in those areas in that position is what makes you strong and wise. By plugging the holes of your weakness with strength, you strengthen your ability to lead.
One of the greatest studies of any person is to study themselves to know their weaknesses. To know your weakness is strength, but to ignore your weakness is foolish. The leader who knows where they are weak is the leader who knows where they are vulnerable. Therefore, the greatest leader is the one who surrounds himself with people stronger than himself in areas where he is weak.
However, be careful not to put stronger people than you in the areas of their strength and not use them. Many leaders are so insecure that they run scared of allowing a stronger person in one area to run that area. If you love those you lead, you will allow the stronger person to run the area of their expertise. There is a risk in doing this; however, I would rather take the risk of allowing strength to run the area where they are strong than to allow my insecurity to waste the talent of strength that God has given to me.
Moreover, you will become wiser in those areas where you are weak by allowing a stronger person to run that area. I have learned that allowing stronger people to surround me in certain areas allows me to learn so I can better lead those that I love. If all I do is keep weakness around me, all I am doing is staying vulnerable in my weak areas. A great benefit of putting stronger people around you is that you learn from them in those areas, which allows you to lead better.
One word of caution to the one that is stronger in one area than their leader: you may be stranger in one area than your leader, but your leader is likely stronger than you in multiple areas. Don't let pride cause you to think that you know so much that you can do what your leader does. There is no shame in being part of the team that God uses to do great things for Him. Don’t let pride cause you to leave a winning team because you think you can do it better. Stay where the blessings are and enjoy being a part of a winning team.
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