Th Principles of fishing in the Ancient Near East are transferable to leadership and provide a model for what it means to be a leader:
- A leader navigates the seasons much like an ancient fisherman. The times and the seasons must be known in order to be effective. The fisherman must be able to see the signs of the times and know when it is time to act.
- He must have knowledge of the body of water from which he must rely for sustenance. He must know the terrain and the places that are effective in which to invest time and energy. His knowledge of the terrain will determine his effectiveness, and also his failures.
- He must work with others in teams in order to accomplish is work. Ancient fishermen fished with nets and multiple boats. Each boat and each fisherman had to work together in order to accomplish an effective day of fishing.
- Fishermen were trained and mentored by others. Often fisherman came from a lineage others who had fished, and fathers understood the responsibility of training the next generation regard the skill of fishing.
- Each fisherman understood the responsibility of teaching others the art of fishing.
- Fishermen were willing to work extended hours to bring in the catch of the day. When the fish were running, they had to work to accomplish their task.
- Often these men worked unnoticed by others and worked in an environment that was humble and basic.
- Fishermen understood the role of preparation. When not fishing, hours would be spent to repair items that were worn or damaged. Days could be spent repairing nets and weeks waiting for an opportunity to fish. The fisherman had to be prepared and to be ready when the time to fish was upon him.
- A fisherman understood the value of solitude and the lessons that it taught one regarding patience. Days and weeks could be spent working with little success. Patience was necessary in order to persevere for when the time of the catch would arrive.
- The exercising of faith in fishing was balanced with the skill of fishing. A master fisherman was humble enough to realize his dependence upon God for success, but wise enough to understand the necessity of skill in carrying out his trade.
- He could always learn from others, and never asked someone to do something he had not done himself. He was willing to do the work of fishing while he taught others as well.



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