S31:E1🎙️ LIVE AWLL From Proverbs — Chapter 1

Hi, I'm John Maxwell. When the top companies in the world are looking for trainers, speakers, and coaches, there's one name that stands above the rest, and that's Maxwell Leadership. Our certified team members have gotten proven results for companies all over the globe, and our reputation, I'm proud to say, is second to none. Some of our members have risen to the top of their profession, including the one you're going to meet today. I proudly introduce you to my friend Bob Fabien Zinga.

Welcome to the Leadership and Success Podcast with your host, Coach BZ, where we help you lead with purpose and succeed with impact. If you're ready to grow into the kind of leader others want to follow, this podcast is for you. If you're determined to elevate your success and leave a lasting legacy, this podcast is for you. As my mentor, Dr. John C. Maxwell, reminds us, everything rises and falls on leadership. Our goal is simple: to inspire you, challenge you, and equip you with insights that can transform the trajectory of your leadership journey. Welcome aboard to Welcome to another episode of the Leadership and Success Podcast with Coach BZ.

All right everyone, welcome to a very, very special edition of the Leadership and Success Podcast. So this is not going to be the regular program, right? Like you guys saw in the description, this is going to be about ancient wisdom mentoring from the Book of Proverbs. So it's a special edition of the Leadership and Success Podcast, and this is ancient wisdom and leadership lesson from the book of Proverbs. Today being January 1st, we are going to read Proverbs chapter 1. So this is going to be season 31, episode 1, not our regular season 5, uh, episode like we normally do. That's going to start, uh, tomorrow with the interview of the one and only 4-star general Gary M. Brito. So that's going to be tomorrow, and we're going to be talking about leadership. But today and every day this month, we are going to read each chapter of Proverbs for every day of January. I've been doing this forever, since I was a teenager. And when I got married, my wife and I started doing that, and I decided to do it online this time and bring it to my Leadership Success community. So I think this should be okay for everyone. It's not a religious podcast at all. It's about Reading through the leadership principles, ancient wisdom that is still applicable today. So that is what we are going to do. So if you are there, please let me know where you are joining us from, what city, what state if within the US, or which country if international. And also, what are you grateful for today? This morning I had the Season 5 trailer, and I said I was grateful for the New Year. Today is January 1st, 2026. I'm so grateful I'm still alive, and I'm really looking forward to 2026. So let us know what you are grateful for. Now, as we engage here, please type in your comment, whatever insight you get from the Book of Proverbs chapter 1 for today. And then if you want to come on the platform for a couple of minutes, we can do that too. And I believe Commander Adrienne Benton, who is a chaplain, I believe she's watching right now. If you are, Commander, please say hi. And if you wanted to come on board for like 5 minutes, give us your takeaway for Proverbs chapter 1, you're probably better qualified than I am. We can do that too. But really, this is open. Again, it's not religious, it's about leadership, leadership principle, success principle, and wisdom that is ancient, that is going to be applied still today. And I believe we'll have quite an effect because I think there is really nothing new under the sun. So let me try to set the introduction and Just like Season 4 and now Season 5, our curriculum is going to be the John Maxwell Leadership Bible. I love this Bible because it also has a lot of leadership articles, right, and devotions, and it takes you through the Bible with the lenses of leadership. What leadership lesson can you learn from that story? And that is so powerful. So, and the number one leadership book, 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, That is still going to be the curriculum for this special episode as well. And talking about the 21 Laws of Leadership, just to let you know that next week I'm gonna be interviewing Charlie Wetzel. He's actually the person who's been the writing companion of Dr. John C. Maxwell, helping him write over 100 books, and most of them New York Times bestsellers. He's a faithful steward, master craftsman, and multiplier of impact. So we're going to be talking about leadership without the spotlight. That is going to be so wonderful if you can make it. But anyway, so back to today's topic. So it's ancient wisdom and leadership lessons from the book of Proverbs. Okay. Again, it doesn't matter if you are a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, or you have no faith at all, agnostic or atheist. We're just going to be focusing on the leadership principle. Okay, so it's gonna be a January daily leadership study from January 1st through January 31st. So 31 days in January and 31 chapters in the Book of Proverbs. So what we are going to do is the Book of Proverbs is really one of the oldest and most enduring collection of wisdom literature in human history. Again, whether you are a Jew, a Christian, or not, it doesn't matter. Wisdom is really, really rich in this book, right? The Book of Proverbs, right after the Book of Psalms. Like earlier today, I was just saying, I think in Proverbs 21, for example, there is another book I personally read every single year, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. It's the number one self-help book in the world, sold more books than any other. But even just the title, Think and Grow Rich, it's in the Book of Proverbs, Proverbs 21, where it says, as a man thinketh, so Easy. So that's pretty powerful. There are many things in life we may not be able to control, but we can control our thoughts. I may not control politics, I may not control the environment or the weather, I may not control what my bosses does or what my peers are going to do to me, how people are going to love or not love me. I can't control that, but I can control me. And if I can control my thought, I can control my feeling. If I can control my feeling, I can control my behavior. And if I can control my behavior, I can set my destiny. So that is so, so powerful. So let's focus on wisdom. In all of your understanding, get wisdom. So it was written thousands of years ago, and this insight have outlived empires, technologies, and political systems because they focus on something timeless: how people think, decide, lead, and live together. This is again another reason why if you are a leader, I highly, highly recommend that you write a book. Because when you write a book, you really leave a legacy even long after you are gone. King Solomon died long, long ago, but everything he wrote in this book of Proverbs, I can read it today in 2025, thousands of years later, and still get wisdom from it. Same thing with one of my primary mentors, Colin Powell, the general. He's no longer with us, but he wrote two books, "What My American Journey" and this book here, "It Worked for Me." And I can still read this book even though he's not here, though he be dead, yet he speaks to me because I can read his experience, what worked, what didn't work, and what he learned. And I can apply those lessons in my own life. That's part of the reason why I love reading the Bible because it helps me to not make mistakes, right? I just see some mistakes some other people did and then I'm like, okay, I see where that leads, so I am not going to do it. That's why I love reading autobiographies as well. And then I see what they did good, I do that. What they did that didn't work, then I stay away from it. So I can learn from somebody else's experience. I can be mentored by someone who may not even be alive today. So anyway, so traditionally it's attributed to King Solomon. I believe King Solomon, the son of King David, is the one who wrote that book. Proverbs reflects the thinking of a leader known for strategic judgment. At the time, it was said Solomon was the wisest man in the entire world. Statecraft and an uncommon commitment to understanding human behavior. So Solomon governed a complex kingdom, Israel, with economic growth, international relationship, internal tension, and leadership challenges, not unlike those faced by modern executives today in the military, entrepreneur, and public servant. So rather than abstract philosophy, Proverbs is practical. It is concise, it is action-oriented. So it's short chapter and direct statement. They really read like an ancient leadership field manual, which I believe that's what it is. It covers decision-making, discipline, integrity, communication, influence, patience, accountability, and foresight. So the intent of this series, again, it's gonna start today, January 1st, it's gonna end January 31st. And this is separate again from my regular podcast, which I am now doing daily for season 5, starting tomorrow with the interview of General Gary Brito. But this is a special, special, special series, right? Ancient Wisdom and Leadership Lessons from the Book of Proverbs. So throughout January 1st to January 31st, I will be sharing a daily leadership reflection, studying one chapter per day. Moving sequentially through all 31 chapters by the end of the month. So we start today with Proverbs chapter 1, and by the end of the month, January 31st, we are going to read Proverbs chapter 31st, and that's gonna be the end of it. That's why this is Season 31 and not Season 5, just to make sure those two things are separate. So this series is intentionally framed as wisdom, not religion, leadership principle, not doctrine, human behavior insight, not sermon. So the goal is to extract timeless leadership lessons that remain deeply relevant in today's environment, whether you lead in the military, cybersecurity and technology. These are my two fields. I'm very good at those. Business and startup, I've done that. Education, public service, I've done that. And families and community. So it doesn't matter who you are, your background, your race, your sex, or your belief. That is not relevant at all. Whether you are a Christian or a Jew, A Muslim or not, again, that's not relevant. We are focusing on the leadership insight. So Proverbs endures because it speaks of how leaders gain trust, avoid blind spots, resist shortcuts, and make sound decisions under pressure. Challenges that are just as real today as they were centuries ago. So how are we going to engage? So each day's entry will focus on select verses from the chapter, which I'm going to highlight after reading the entire chapter, translate ancient wisdom into modern leadership insight, and also offer practical reflection questions you can apply immediately. In my humble opinion, when it comes to leadership, many people, when they hear something, they tend to say, "Oh, I already know that. I've heard this. I've known that for my entire life." But that's not exactly true, is it? Because if you really knew it, you would be doing it. You would be living it. So if you don't live it, if you don't actually practice it, put it in practice every single day, then the truth is you may know it in your brain, in your head, but you don't know it in your heart, because you don't know it until you actually do it. So maybe you're gonna see a lot of principles that are very familiar, something you've probably heard from your parents, your teacher, your pastor, or whoever in the past. But what I'm challenging you for during this special season is, okay, I'm going to listen to this again and then I'm going to make sure I practice it every single time. That's really where change will start to happen in your life, I believe. So we're going to read one entry in under 5 minutes, I hope, but reflect on it all day. All right. So the commitment every day, January 1st to January 31st, give me 31 days for the month of January in 2026, one chapter per day. We're going to get wisdom, leadership and application. Ancient world, modern leaders, and timeless lessons. I believe his leadership principles are really universal. They do not change, they apply no matter what you do, no matter who you are. So wisdom and leadership, lesson from Proverbs. Let's start with chapter 1, the book of Proverbs. So Proverbs chapter 1 serves as the charter document for biblical wisdom. A masterclass in leadership formation. It frames wisdom not as a theory, but as daily practice discernment, grounded in humility, accountability, and moral courage. Now, I must say, I am a scientist by trade. I did science when I was in high school. When I came to the US, I was pre-med, I did chemistry and biology. And then I was accepted into the PhD program in microbiology at the University of Alabama. I skipped master's degree and I almost got my PhD except for my final dissertation. So I am ABD. But anyway, the scientific way of thinking, yes, you do have a theory, but then you are going to put that into practice. You're going to test it out. Does it work? Does it not work? If it work, I'm going to keep doing it. If it doesn't work, well, it's just not for me. Again, like my primary mentor, Colin Powell said, it worked for me. This is what he did and it worked for him. It doesn't mean it's going to work for me too, but it worked for him. That's his experience. So I just want you to try out those ideas. So it looks So we have our first comment. Thanks so much for being there, Franklin Kenge. Salut Bob. So tu dois parler français. He speaks French. Franklin, let us know where are you coming from. D'où viens-tu? Quel état? Quelle ville? And also let us know what you are grateful for today. Dites-nous de quoi êtes-vous reconnaissant aujourd'hui? And let's keep this going. And as we go through this, if you have a comment or something you want to highlight from Proverbs chapter 1, please feel free. To type it in and let's have a discussion. All right. So back to what I was saying. So it frames wisdom not as a theory, but as a daily practice, discernment, grounded in humility, accountability, and moral courage. For leaders in uniform, like I am still today, in boardrooms like I've been, and in families, this chapter sets the foundation for how influence should be exercised. How do you exercise influence? So Let's look at some selective verses that we are going to highlight with a leadership focus insight. So leadership begins with teachable humility. If you feel like you know everything, you're never going to learn. Even now, I feel like I know a lot more than I used to know, but I still don't know everything. Kind of like Socrates, right? All I know is that I don't know anything because the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know anything and I need to keep learning. I am a student for life. So I have an open mind. Anybody can teach me. My children have taught me, people who report to me have taught me, even junior enlisted people in the Navy. When I am a senior officer, a commander, I still want to listen to them, get their feedback, because it could make the difference. So have an open mind. Okay, so where do we see that? Proverbs 1:5, "Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance." It reminds me of my mother. She used to tell me, God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason and use those in that proportion. So listen twice as much as you speak. Alright, leadership insight. Great leaders never graduate from learning. Rank, title, experience does not replace curiosity. So the most effective leaders are listeners first. And that has been proven to me over and over again through the illustrious guests we had for season 4 in 2023. 5. And I had a recap of what we learned in 2025 yesterday. You can go back to the podcast, Season 4, Episode 136, the last episode of Season 4. That might be very useful. So you have to be open to counsel, coaching, and correction. Just be open to it. And again, just because you're open to it doesn't mean that when someone tells you something, you're going to do what they say. It just means that you're going to consider it. Again, if it works for you, like General Powell, it worked for me, do it. And if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't work for you. Just thank you so much for sharing, but this is not for me. That is fine too. But at least you have an open mind. You don't feel like you know everything and you cannot learn from anybody. Okay? That's very, very important, the attitude of leadership. All right. So let's talk about application. So I think you need to seek mentors even when you are the senior leader. That is so, so important. I was saying yesterday, I have a board of directors, a personal board of directors. Actually, let me see if I can show that to you in just a moment. If you go to my LinkedIn page and you go back to the leadership devotion, I think this was something I wrote back in May. Just like organization, I have a board of directors. I have a board of director for Bob Fabien Zinga, for me. These are people who advise me, they help me make decision. Some of them may not even be alive now, but I have their book, I've learned from their principle and the way they make decision. And these are people who speak to my life and help me make important decision. And I think everybody should have that. You have to have a mentor. Even when you become a senior officer, you still have to have a mentor. And also mentorship isn't just one way, right? Even today I have a lot of mentees, but I learn from my mentees as well. So again, have an open mind. So the article I am looking for, I'm sorry, I have written more than 140 articles last year, but I do wanna show this to you really quick about mentorship because I think mentorship is a master key for success because what mentorship does is it allows you to live vacariously through the experience of somebody else. Somebody else did something, it didn't go well, then you don't have to do what they did and get the same result, right? Because you only learn two ways, either trial and error, which what we do in science, try it, if it works, okay, this is a theory and it has been validated, or it didn't work, let us go to another theory. But with mentorship, I can go to somebody else who has tried something and if it worked for them, then I will try it for me too and hopefully it's going to work too. But if they tried it, it didn't work for them, then I can just skip all of the pain and all of the learning and all of the failure and just go do something else. Right? And I think that's important. And talking about reverse mentorship, this is also why in this podcast, I am willing to speak to entry-level people, to people who are enlisted, to people who are junior officers. Some people, they get intimidated because I've interviewed a lot of 4-star generals and colonels and commanders like myself. And And captain be like, "Oh no, no, no, I cannot be interviewed by Coach Bizzy because he interviewed General Petraeus or General McChrystal or tomorrow General Britto." Well, again, rank doesn't matter. Rank is not important here. What's important is the wisdom and wisdom does not respect rank. And I think that's a very, very important lesson from Proverbs chapter 1. Okay, I think this is where, man, I've written a lot of articles. This is one of those, my leadership board of director. So these are some of the people, not all of them, but some of the people I reach out to when I have to make a very important decision and they really help me. Actually, let me make this a little bit bigger. They really help me think about things because again, I know a lot more today than I used to know 20 years ago when I was a Siemens recruit, but I do not know everything. Okay? That is just common, always willing to learn. So let me make this a little bit bigger. So as you can see, General Powell is there, Captain Rothschild is there, Les Brown, Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins, Ken Blanchard, and on and on. These are the people I follow. Dr. Maxwell, one of my primary mentors, he says most people who decide to go personally find their first mentor in the pages of books. And that is so true. That's why I love to read, and I want to get your book recommendations as well, because every time you read a book, you can go back, think about it, read it again and again and again. Some books I read every single year, like this book, Think and Grow Rich. Every single year I read it, like the Book of Proverbs. I read every single year, and every time I read it, I get something new out of it, right? So a mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you than you see in yourself and helps bring it out of you. Bob Proctor said that. But anyway, so these are my mentors, people I follow, I reach out to, and I think you should have a mentor too. And I think you should also have a board of directors of people that you can go to to get wisdom when needed. Okay. So that's only one part of it. Applications, so seek mentors, I think that's critical. Number 2, build feedback loops in your team culture, right? It's not just that I am the boss and you do whatever I say. What if what you're saying is wrong, right? So you have to be again, open to feedback. That is very, very important if you're gonna be a better leader. And then number 3, you have to treat learning as a discipline, not an event. Continuous learning, learning over and over and over again. I remember when I was interviewed by Microsoft, it was a, a few years back. One thing I really loved about the culture at Microsoft, which Satya really brought, was that continuous learning. They keep learning, they make mistakes and they learn from those mistakes and they move as fast as they can, but they are always open to learning, open for feedback. And that is so critical. If you're gonna be a leader, you cannot say, I know everything there is to know, I'm not gonna learn anymore. You still have to learn. You still have to get feedback from other people. So again, let me know for you guys who are listening now, where you are coming from, what you are grateful about, and also some of your feedback about what I'm talking about or whatever other insights you get from Proverbs 1. Okay. The second thing. So the first thing was leadership begins with teachable humility. You have to be humble in order to lead. Number 2, reverence anchors ethical leadership. Reverence. That's Proverbs 1:7. It says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Fools despise wisdom." and instruction. Okay, leadership insight. This is the cornerstone verse of Proverbs. Fear here means reverence, accountability, and moral awareness. So leadership without reverence drifts toward ego, manipulation, or abuse of power. I talked a lot about ego when I talked to Coach Zan Benefield. That was a couple of days ago, I believe season 4, episode 135. But ego really gets us in trouble. So you have to keep it in check. Don't be arrogant, be humble, and be anchored in ethical leadership. So application: lead with a clear moral compass. Remember that authority is stewardship, not entitlement. Don't be entitled, but be a good steward, right? Make decision as if you will be held accountable, because you will be. All right, number 3. Eat wise counsel early. Proverbs 1:8-9. Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. This is really something I've been trying to do since I was a teenager, trying to make sure that I don't make mistakes that I can avoid. If I can avoid a mistake, let me avoid it. That's why I love mentorship so much. I can learn from somebody else's life. Live through them vicariously. For example, when I was a kid, my father told me, do not drink, do not smoke, do not do drugs. And I never did those things because I've seen how those things impact some of my cousins and uncles and some people who were pretty much addicted to those things. So I am glad today that I don't have to deal with any of that stuff. But the reason why I can't is because I listened when I was a child and I saw how it affected some of the people I knew personally. And I'm just going to steer clear of it and just not do it. No, that's not for me. The good things I want to do, the bad things I do not want to do. Again, I am not telling you how to live your life, but I'm just giving you an idea, something to think about, something to consider. Again, not to impress you, but to impress upon you that maybe you should consider that. So, heeding wise counsel early. So, leadership insight. These verses, they really emphasize Intergenerational wisdom. Leaders who ignore those who came before them repeat avoidable mistakes. Wisdom is an inheritance, not a burden. And it's so important to listen to your elders. Like I grew up in Africa, we have filial piety in Africa where we respect our elders and people who are old enough to be your parents, you will consider them as your parents. People who are old enough to be your grandparents, you cannot consider them as your own. Grandparents, even though you may not be related, you just have that respect. And I think that is so important. Sometimes our kids today in the Western world, we don't always do that. I already know I'm going to live my life my own way. Well, the thing is, your parents, they were your age at one point. There was a time where my mother was 16 years old, she was 20 years old, she was 30 years old. So whatever I'm going through now, she went through it before. So it might be wise for you to go and talk to somebody you trust and ask them, hey, When you were my age and you faced this type of issues, how did you deal with it? What did you learn from your experience? No, heed wise counsel early. All right, so application, honor institutional memory, that's important in business, in the Navy. I think it was yesterday, right? I said how in the Navy many times we go through after-action report over and over again after every exercise, and it looks like we keep building that wheel from scratch. Every single time instead of the new commanding officer coming in saying, okay, what did they learn before I was here? What did they do? Okay. These are the lessons learned. This is what worked, what didn't work, what didn't work. Let's stop doing that. And let's do what worked or even come up with your own ideas. But having to reinvent the wheel over and over again is a big, big, big waste of time. Do not do it. Heed wise counsel early. Okay. Number 2, invite senior voices into strategic decision. When you have to make a decision, it's important. It's okay to say, okay, let me just get 2 or 3 different opinions. Again, it doesn't matter that when you ask for advice, you're going to do exactly what they say, but at least you're going to listen and you are going to consider it. That's all I ask. When my mentees come to me, they ask for my opinion. I just tell them what I think and I expect them to just listen, not to do exactly what I say, although I think I might know better, but just consider that and then you decide what works for you. And what doesn't work for you. And finally, you have to encourage mentorship across ranks and role and think about reverse mentorship as well. And talking about mentorship this season, I've got it confirmed. I'm gonna be talking with one of the number one mentorship gurus really in America today, Janet Fann. She's going to be here later this year. So I'm really looking forward to that because I do believe that mentorship is a master key to success. All right, number 4, peer pressure. It's a leadership test. Okay, Proverbs chapter 1, verse 10 says, my son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them. Okay, you have to understand that you are an individual, and just because everybody else does it doesn't mean that you I have to do it too.

Okay.

Leadership often fails quietly through small compromises made for acceptance, speed, convenience, right, peer pressure. And this verse, Proverbs 1:10, reminds us that leaders' integrity is tested socially, not just strategically, right? So what are the applications? You have to resist groupthink, speak up when silence is easier, and then model courage when values are challenged. Resisting groupthink, I think, is important. That's why you need diverse teams. Diverse teams have always been much more performing than teams of people who think alike. That's why I really love diversity, all type of diversity, not just gender, not just race, but the way they think, what school they go to. For example, In Silicon Valley, there are a few companies where they only hire people from a specific school, let's say only from Berkeley or from Stanford. They don't hire anybody else. And mostly they're like 90+ percent white male, for example. So they all have the same type of background. They went to the same type of school. They all think the same way. And that's really, really bad for your blind spot. What you need is a lot of diversity. So you get people with different life experiences who can really speak into you and help you see what you may not see. Put some light on your blind spot. And you also want to create this atmosphere, this psychological safety. We talked a lot about it in Season 4 with many of the guests I brought to you in 2025. Make it so that people are not afraid to speak. If something is wrong, even the most junior person can raise their hand and say, sir, ma'am, I believe we may be making a mistake. Have you considered this or that? So that's really what you want. You as an individual, you as a leader, you need to be open for input, for feedback, but you also want to create a culture where everybody in your organization, regardless of their seniority or rank or title, are also open to feedback and open to provide their feedback and not feel like if they speak, they're gonna get punished or something.

Okay.

Number 5, Shortcuts carry hidden costs. That's in Proverbs 1:15-16. It says, "Do not set foot on their paths, for their feet rush into evil." Shortcuts carry hidden costs. An ethical shortcut may look efficient, but they erode trust, morale, and legitimacy. Leadership is not just about results but about how results are achieved. This one lesson will also help you stay away from people who have all of these gimmicks about how to get rich quick and you don't have to work, get something for nothing and all of that. Basically, all they are going to do eventually, you will find out, is to separate you from your money and you're not going to get any of the benefits they are talking about because it takes work, it takes time. You have to invest, right? We talked about The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy, one of my mentors wrote that book and he says, right, it compounds. You have to do something every single day towards your goal and in time it will compound. You're gonna gain extraordinary results by being consistent, right? Because of time. But if you only do it once in a while, then change will never happen or you are not gonna reap the benefit as much as you would if you were consistent, because it takes hard work and it takes time, and you cannot really skip it. There is no shortcut to success. You have to be out there, roll up your sleeve, and do what you need to do, and allow time to have its process. Okay, so leadership is not just about result, but about how results are achieved. Application. Choose the hard right over the easy wrong, always, whether somebody is watching or not. Evaluate second and third order effect of decision. That's what we tend to forget sometimes. We have almost become like a microwave generation, right? I just think about right here and now, but what about tomorrow? You have to have a long-term perspective. Start working today about the goals that you have to achieve in 1 year, in 2 years, in 5 years, in 10 years, and be consistent about what you do instead of always living in the present and just the present. Think about tomorrow, day after tomorrow, think about next year. I think people who are the most successful have that long-term perspective. They think about time like in hundreds of years. For example, China has been really remarkable how developed they have become. Just like in the '70s, they were a third world country. China didn't produce anything. They were like, you know, in the Stone Age. But look at them today, they are almost a peer competitor to the United States. To tell you the truth, in some areas they may even outperform America today. Why? Because as a country, they have a long-term perspective. They sacrifice a lot today in order to achieve a worthy dream, a worthy goal 100 years from now. So that's really the way we should be thinking, I think, as leaders. As organization and as a country, long-term perspective. Okay, evaluate second, third order effect and then protect your team from toxic wins. Winning is not everything, it's really how you win. All right, number 6, ignoring wisdom has consequences. Proverbs 1:24, 25, and 26, it says, but since you refuse to listen, I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you. So wisdom is patient, but it's not passive. Leaders who repeatedly ignore warnings, data, or dissent, they eventually will face a crisis. Most leadership failures are predictable. It doesn't happen suddenly. It's something that you do every day. Mike Murdock, another one of my mentors, he says, there is, Your success is found in your daily routine. If you have a problem, don't talk to me about your problem, talk to me about what you do every day and I will be able to tell you what is causing your problem. It is what you do. It's like a seed that you are planting into your future. Again, for those who are watching, if you have any insight, let me know. Let us know where you are coming from, what city, what state, and what you are grateful for today. Hopefully what I am saying makes sense and it's adding value. To you. So leadership approach number 1, pay attention to early warning signs. Number 2, encourage dissent and red teaming, right? Don't just have yes men and yes women following you everywhere around. Have people who can, who feel the freedom, the ability to tell you what they think truly. Because even as a leader, when I was a commanding officer, I didn't agree with all of my people, my department head and my leadership team. And I actually encourage them when I had an idea what I wanted to do, to get their vigorous feedback, right? But then I would stop, listen to what they have to say, but then the buck stops with me. I will make the decision. But once I make that decision, whether you agree with me or not, now because you represent me, because you are my executive officer, my department head, or my chief, or whatever, "now you have to act as if this was your own idea and be with me and the unit mission 100%. There's going to be a time where I want to get your frank feedback, but once I make a decision, whether it's aligned with your original feedback or not, you then have to get on board with the team." And sometimes in life, you may not be able to do that because of your own personal core value or your integrity. And then I think what you need to do is to resign, go find something else to do. Because if you're going to be part of a team, you have to be on board with what they are doing. But if that's just not possible, then you need to join another team or start your own. That's what I think. So you have to act before consequences force your hand. That's wisdom. All right, number 7. This is going to be the last one that I found from Proverbs chapter 1. Wisdom produces security, not fear. Wisdom produces security, not fear. Proverbs 1:33. Let's read that. That's the very last verse of the first chapter. But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease without fear of harm. That's what wisdom says. The end goal of wise leadership is psychological safety, stability, trust. When leaders listen well and lead ethically, people flourish and fear loses its grip. So application, you have to create environment where people feel safe to speak, psychological safety. People should not be afraid to tell you what they really truly think. Because if you get in an area where everybody just praises you, they flatter you, something is very, very, very wrong. Number 2, lead consistently and predictably. Your people need to know that, okay, you are a fair person, you are a fair leader. You don't have a— you don't play favorites, right, within the team. You are impartial, you are consistent, you set the rules, and then people have to live up to those high expectations. No excuses. And those who are going to be able to achieve those goals or exceed them, they're going to be rewarded. And those who don't are not going to be rewarded, right? Because nothing is more toxic than being in an organization where they say, these are our core values, these are our goals, this is what we're going to accomplish. And then you clearly see someone who is not able to accomplish that, but because they have a girlfriend of a boss or the cousin of, or the best friend of a boss, all of a sudden they get promoted anyway, even though they didn't meet any of the requirements. And then somebody else who exceeded those, they don't get promoted. That's going to be extremely toxic. If you're in an organization like that, you have to do what you need to do, but you really have to think hard about whether or not you really belong. But if you are a leader, you have to have those high expectations, and then you have to raise people to that expectation. My godfather, C.G. Taylor, used to say, you have to be firm. You have to be nice, but you do have to be firm, right? Having those rules, having those goals, having those expectations, and everybody in the organization, including the boss, including the chief, including the person in charge, has to abide by them. Because if you have rules, but it only applies to your team member, but not to you because you are their boss, something is very wrong. You're not gonna have followers for very, very long. So you have to be consistent and predictable. Yes is yes and no is no. And then number 3: build trust as a strategic asset. Trust is very, very, very difficult to build but so easy to lose. Okay, this is really the end of the study today for Proverbs 1:1-31. Is there any other verse that you wanted to highlight or any other insight that you got that has to do with leadership, with success, or with wisdom? Anything that we can still apply today, thousands of years after King Solomon wrote the Book of Proverbs that is still going to be valuable today in 2026? Please let me know. All right, so in closing, it's been about 40 minutes. I thought this would only take about 30 minutes. Okay, but this is fun. I really love this. I could be studying this over and over again. Like I said, I've been reading the Book of Proverbs every single year since I was a teenager. There is so much wisdom in it. So I believe that Proverbs chapter 1 teaches us that wisdom is not optional for leaders, it is foundational. Somebody says foundational, uh, type it in the comment please. Foundational. Wisdom is foundational. That is so important. I think that's really the main lesson for this. Wisdom is foundational. It's the foundation on which you build your leadership. All right, leadership is not defined by charisma, authority, ambition, title, rank, but by humility. Humility. You have to be humble. That's something I get from Proverbs chapter 1. As a leader, you have to be humble. You need to be able to learn from anybody within your organization. Discernment and accountability. That's wisdom. So humility, discernment, and you have to be accountable, accountability. That is leadership. That is wisdom. So for those who pursue wisdom, you really have to lead with clarity. And those who reject it, they will be leading toward chaos. Often unintentionally. And again, I love to read about wisdom. I love to read and learn from my mentors and from the people around me so I don't have to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Okay, that's all I have prepared for you for Proverbs chapter 1. I will be back here for a special edition of the Leadership and Success podcast, and tomorrow we are going to do chapter number 2 of the book of Proverbs. Ancient wisdom mentoring from the book of Proverbs. Ancient Wisdom and Leadership Lessons from the Book of Proverbs. Chapter 1 today and Chapter 2 tomorrow. All right, this is it for today. Thank you so much for watching. I am going to write a short leadership article to recap what we learned from Proverbs Chapter 1, and I will do the same again tomorrow. Again, I'm welcoming all of your feedback, your comment, and what you think is going to be applicable to you today. All right, see you tomorrow. Bye for now.

Thank you for tuning in to the Leadership and Success Podcast with your host, Coach BZ. If today's episode added value to your leadership journey, be sure to subscribe, share, and join us again for more wisdom nuggets on how to lead better and achieve greater success. Remember, leadership is the most a critical skill of our time. The world will always need leaders to inspire others, drive innovation, and execute meaningful strategy. So why not count yourself among the bold leaders shaping the 21st century? Until next time, stay inspired, stay committed, and keep leading with excellence.