5 Characteristics of Great Crisis Leadership Demonstrated in the Life of Daniel
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You’ve faced crisis as a leader this year, no doubt about it. On top of events we’ve all faced, you possibly have also dealt with personal traumas, tragedies, and difficulties. If any of that is true for you, I hope the following may offer some real encouragement.
You may know him as an end-times prophet but the Biblical book bearing Daniel’s name presents him as a leader who emerged to prominence via a number of crises over his lifetime.[i]
There’s valuable insight to gain by examining Daniel’s rise through the ranks of leadership because of crisis and his response to it.
I only have space here to provide an overview but in short, when you read the story of Daniel through the lens of his emergence as a leader, I believe this is what you find:
five crises in his life and career that propel him into increasingly powerful positions
five characteristics that mark his crisis leadership style
The Five Crises
Let’s move through Daniel’s career chronologically. The five crises:
Crisis 1: He Was Selected for a Challenge He Did Not Choose (Daniel 1:1-7)
Daniel was selected by Nebuchadnezzar for deportation to Babylon. We have no record that Daniel had any choice in the matter.
Crisis 2: He Faced a Moral Dilemma That He Could Have Sidestepped (Daniel 1:8-21)
His training program in Babylon required him to abandon his religious dietary customs. He had to choose either to accept the compromise or find a way to follow his conscience.
Crisis 3: He Acted Boldly and Courageously in the Face of Grave Personal Danger for Himself and Others (Daniel 2:1-49)
The King, angered that no wise man in his realm has interpreted a dream for him, orders the death of all in that class of people, including Daniel. Daniel immediately assesses the situation and makes a bold promise: bring me to the King and I will interpret the dream. After calling his companions to prayer, that is exactly what happens.
Crisis 4: He Behaved Himself with Courage, Poise, and Emotional Intelligence When Threatened with Potentially Lethal Political Threats (Daniel 6)
King Darius appointed 120 satraps with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. Daniel performed so well that the King wanted to place the entire Kingdom under his administrative powers. Political opponents sprang a trap to eliminate Daniel: the famous “lion’s den”.
Crisis 5: He Rises to a Supreme Spiritual Challenge that He Set for Himself (Daniel 9)
Daniel, having emerged as a premier leader in the nation, turns his attention to the deepest spiritual burden of his heart: for God to forgive and restore His people. In this episode, Daniel emerges into the pinnacle of spiritual leadership: a humble, repentant ambassador for his people before God.
The Five Characteristics
Again, there’s not enough space here to examine all the details. I will leave that to your own curiosity and reading. However, as I analyze the accounts of crises above, Daniel characteristically displays five responses.
He acts boldly.
He responds prayerfully.
He acts decisively.
He demonstrates personal humility.
He acts selflessly.
Consider just one example from Daniel 2. As mentioned above, the King, angered that no wise man in his realm has interpreted a dream for him, orders the death of all in that class of people, including Daniel. Here’s how Daniel responds:
He is Confronted with Crisis (2:1-13)
He Takes Immediate and Bold Action (2:14-16)
He Relies on Prayer (2:17-23)
He Uses His Influence with Arioch and Intercedes for Others (2:24)
He Presents Himself Humbly but Brags on His God (2:25-30)
He Reveals the Dream, Interprets It, and Expresses Confidence in His Interpretation (2:31-45)
The King Honors Daniel, Promotes Him, and at Daniel’s Request, Promotes His Friends (2:46-49)
Daniel took care not only to save himself but all those in his profession. He balances quick action with prayer. He uses his influence appropriately in the face of crisis. He speaks of himself with great humility but boasts fearlessly of His God.
The end result of successfully responding to this life-threatening situation? He is promoted to an even higher level of leadership.
Finally, I think it significant that the last crisis of Daniel’s life is a self-imposed spiritual quest. His experiences and faithfulness qualify him to receive further revelation from God and to serve as an effective intercessor for his people.
Perhaps your own crises and problems have been designed providentially, as stressful and painful as they may be, to prepare you for the greatest spiritual task of your life.
I’d be interested in hearing your own thoughts on how to apply Daniel’s leadership lessons today! Feel free to share in the comments below.
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[i] Winston, Bruce E. (2020). Leadership Growth Through Crisis. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave MacMillan. I’m grateful to Gia Tatone’s ideological study of Daniel 9:19 in Chapter 3 for core ideas in this article.
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My husband Bud offered to contribute this article. I loved it and hope you do, too!
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