Boaz owned the field. Ruth was a foreign widow picking up leftover grain behind his workers. She had no leverage of any kind.
He could have ignored her, legally and socially. He asked who she was. He told her to stay in his field, where she would be safe. He told his men to leave her alone. He had his workers pull stalks from the bundles and leave them where she could gather.
Later, at real cost to his own estate, he took on the duty of redeeming her family’s land.
The idea. Earning trust is the second step of the LEADS Path. A team learns what a leader is by watching how the leader treats the person with the least standing. Power shows character. Boaz spent his position on someone who could not repay him. That is what a position is for.
The action for this week. Who on your team, or near your team, has the least leverage? The newest person, the lowest paid, the contractor, the quiet one. Use your position for that person once this week. Remove an obstacle, give credit in public, or make an introduction.
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”Philippians 2:4, ESV
Jake
P.S. The full study is in Leaders in Scripture. Read Ruth and Boaz.