In the two hundred years since Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet, others have come forward with claims of divine appointment. In each case, the Lord has directed his people to follow the prophets and apostles he has called and ordained to lead his Church. Comparing the leadership of those who sought to lead with those who have been called to lead, and with the help of two centuries of leadership studies since the establishment of the Church, reveals a pattern that can inform the behavior of disciples regardless of their present callings.
One of the first challenges to the singular authority of a prophet came from other significant players in the restoration of the gospel. In the summer of 1830, just months after the Church was founded, Oliver Cowdery, then the Second Elder of the Church, wrote to Joseph Smith. Oliver had drafted articles to govern the new church that were superseded by the Articles and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ authored by Joseph Smith. Oliver disapproved of Joseph's inclusion of demonstrable works as a requirement for baptism and commanded Joseph "in the name of God to erase those words" (Joseph Smith, "History, 1838-1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805-30 August 1834]," 51, josephsmithpapers.org). Oliver Cowdery had also convinced the Whitmer Family, who had themselves played significant roles in witnessing the Book of Mormon and the founding of the Church, to support his position.
Upon receiving Oliver's letter, Joseph authored a response that questioned Oliver's authority to command alteration of a revelation or commandment from God. Within a few days, Joseph had also begun a journey from his home in Pennsylvania to speak with Oliver and the Whitmers in person where he was eventually able to reason with them. Joseph later recorded, "And thus was this error rooted out, which having its rise in presumption and rash judgement, was the more particularly calculated (when once fairly understood) to teach each and all of us the necessity of humility, and meekness before the Lord, that he might teach us of his ways; that we might walk in his paths, and live by every word which proceedeth forth from his mouth" (Joseph Smith, "History, 1838-1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805 - 30 August 1834]," 51.).
Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith both wanted to see the restored gospel grow and prosper in the earth. Both men were faithful and had been essential to the work that had been completed thus far, as was the Whitmer Family. In this case however, Oliver and the Whitmer Family proudly asserted that what they thought they knew was right. In contrast, Joseph sought to humbly learn from the Lord and execute His will.
Best-selling leadership author Jim Collins has identified what he calls "Level 5 Leadership" as a key determinant of an organization's success. Level 5 leaders, he writes, embody "a paradoxical mix of personal humility and professional will." They are ambitious, to be sure, but ambitious first and foremost for the company (or organization they lead), not themselves" (Good to Great, p. 39). Level 5 leaders also focus on results, are "more plow horse than show horse", credit others for successes, take responsibility for failures, and set up their successors for even greater success in the next generation.
We see Level 5 leadership in Joseph Smith's response. Though he was not the cause of the misunderstanding, he took responsibility for it and exerted significant effort to not only write a correction but then follow up with a visit that required a 300-mile journey on horseback. He was driven to restore unity-- not to protect his own ego, but because it was what the Lord required. Over the next fourteen years, Joseph Smith would be constantly training future leaders in the School of the Prophets, in Zion's Camp, and through dozens of other experiences.
Later in the summer of 1830, Joseph and Emma Smith returned to the Whitmer Farm to find that the Whitmer's son-in-law, Hiram Page, claimed to be using a stone to receive divine revelation for the Church. Several members believed in these revelations, including Oliver Cowdery and the Whitmer Family. After unsuccessfully attempting to reason with the Saints as he had earlier that summer, Joseph Smith sought the revelation that appears in the Doctrine and Covenants as Section 28. THe Lord teaches Oliver Cowdery in this revelation about the relevant principles of leadership and how they should have been applied in this situation:
Behold, I say unto thee, Oliver, that it shall be given unto thee that thou shalt be heard by the church in all things whatsoever thou shalt teach them by the Comforter, concerning the revelations and commandments which I have given. But behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee, no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses.
And thou shalt be obedient unto the things which I shall give unto him, even as Aaron, to declare faithfully the commandments and the revelations, with power and authority unto the church. And if thou art led at any time by the Comforter to speak or teach, or at all times by the way of commandment unto the church, thou mayest do it. But thou shalt not write by way of commandment, but by wisdom; And thou shalt not command him who is at thy head, and at the head of the church; For I have given him the keys of the mysteries, and the revelations which are sealed, until I shall appoint unto them another in his stead (D&C 28:1-7).
The revelation affirms that Hiram Page's stone was a deception of the devil and assigned Oliver to privately address the issue with Hiram. Joseph Smith's history records that the the stone was discussed at a church conference in September and, "after considerable investigation, Brother Page, as well as the whole church who were present, renounced the said stone, and all things connected therewith, much to our mutual satisfaction and happiness" (Joseph Smith, "History, 1838-1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805 - 30 August 1834]," 51.).
In the language of modern leadership theory, the Lord is telling Oliver Cowdery about his role as the first follower. First followers are often undervalued as leaders, but they are the difference between an individual with an idea and a movement. They are exposed to the same ridicule as the leader who courageously stands up and yet they make it less risky for others to join in. It would be incredibly impractical for everyone to lead or to do what the leader does, but the first follower provides an example for all of the other followers so they know what to do to be part of the movement. This is Aaron's responsibility to Moses and Oliver Cowdery's responsibility to Joseph Smith.
Following the conference, the Lord also provided another revelation addressing a few of the Whitmers. To David Whitmer, the Lord said, "Behold, I say unto you, David, that you have feared man and have not relied on me for strength as you ought. But your mind has been on the things of the earth more than on the things of me, your Maker, and the ministry whereunto you have been called; and you have not given heed unto my Spirit, and to those who were set over you, but have been persuaded by those whom I have not commanded" (D&C 30:1-2, emphasis added).
David Whitmer appears to have forgotten this chastisement and admonition of the Lord and it led to further chastisement over his leadership in Missouri. When economic failures in 1837 led many even prominent members of the Church to be disillusioned, several elders who considered Joseph Smith to be a fallen prophet called a meeting in the Kirtland Temple to appoint David Whitmer as the new Church leader. The effort was unsuccessful, but one of the main charges brought against David Whitmer when he was excommunicated in 1838 was, "possessing the same spirit with the Dissenters" (Donald Q. Cannon and Lyndon W. Cook, eds., Far West Record, Minutes of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-1844, Salt Lake City, 1983, p. 177). Though he never denied his witness of the Book of Mormon, David Whitmer left the Church and lived his life in Missouri.
Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, the academic authors of The Leadership Challenge, have argued that leadership is about behavior-- an observable set of skills and abilities-- rather than personality. The first of five core practices they endorse is what they call "modeling the way." Modeling the way includes establishing standards of excellence and then setting an example for others to follow so they know how to win. The other four practices are inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart.
David Whitmer may have been demonstrating many of these leadership behaviors as the head of an apostate rebellion, but the best leadership lifts followers to higher heights than they would have found on their own. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young inspired thousands to make incredible journeys, to withstand brutal persecutions, to build some of the finest cities and most industrious economies of their time, to advance technology and accelerate learning, and to make and keep sacred covenants with God. Without the standard of excellence, leadership fizzles and the crowds disperse.
Perhaps a greater threat during the Kirtland years was a man named Warren Parrish. Parrish had served in Zion's Camp and held prestigious positions including as a missionary, a member of the First Quorum of Seventy, and as Joseph Smith's personal secretary and scribe. Yet, one of the reasons the Church-supported bank ultimately failed was because Parrish and others were stealing funds. When this was discovered, Parrish was excommunicated (Smith, George A. "Historical Discourse," Journal of Discourses, 11:1-11).
Warren Parrish responded to excommunication with a bitter drive to destroy Joseph Smith and the Church. He wrote letters to local papers expressing his anger with "infidel" church leaders and used violence and threats of violence to force Joseph Smith to leave Kirtland. Parrish eventually lead a group of dissenters to form a new church based first in Kirtland and then in Far West, Missouri. The new church intended, "to renounce the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, and take the 'Mormon' doctrines to overthrow all the religions in the world, and unite all the Christian churches in one general band, and they to be its great leaders" (Smith, George A. "Divine Origin of 'Mormonism' - Doings and Sayings of Early Opposers and Apostates", Journal of Discourses, 7:111-117).
Among those who supported Warren Parrish was Martin Harris, the man who had financed the first printing of the Book of Mormon and was a witness of the plates from which it was translated. When Parrish began claiming that the Book of Mormon and subsequent revelations were 'nonsense', division arose and Parrish's church soon dissolved. He went on to be a baptist preacher.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) teaches us about the difference between "away from" motivation, or opposition to something, and "toward" motivation, or support for something. Opposition is unsustainable because our motivation wavers as we get some distance from the source of our pain or anger. This is why dieters, who are often more opposed to being fat than they are driven to be fit, often lose motivation after losing only a few pounds (or gaining only a little distance between them and the thing they oppose). Opposition is also less clear (does that mean avoid them or burn down their houses?), doesn't inform our unconscious mind, and is more stressful on our bodies and on our minds.
The devil and his followers provide useful opposition in the plan of God. The destructive path they promote is limited. These spend their strength being angry or claiming they have been wronged rather than doing things that could lead to progress. They are, in the end, damned as much by their own inaction as they are by any external force. In contrast, the Church and gospel of Jesus Christ focus disciples on the powerfully motivating happiness we can experience in this life and the eternal blessings available after death.
Since the time of Joseph Smith, others have claimed the right to lead God's people collectively or in particular doctrines or situations. Upon the death of Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon claimed the Lord wanted him to be a guardian of the church rather than continuing with a succession of prophets. In 1858, Walter Gibson claimed to be the prophet for the saints in Hawaii. Local church leaders in Cedar City ordered the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Elias Harrison and William Godbe claimed revelation from deceased church leaders through seances and opposed church counsel on economic matters. Others have claimed inspiration that the church should accept homosexual marriage, ordain women to the priesthood, or support some other position they think is right or true.
Leadership studies give us insights that help explain how the Lord's ordained have been successful leaders; but it does not explain why they were successful or how they knew to use the techniques they did hundreds of years before scholars began studying leadership in earnest. Jim Collins wrote Good to Great 173 years after Joseph Smith needed humility and a focus on the larger organization in addressing Oliver Cowdery's demands. The Lord's pattern for leadership, including first followers, standards of excellence, and "toward" motivation, was established even before the foundation of this world.
President Thomas S. Monson has taught, "When we are on the Lord's errand, we are entitled to the Lord's help. Remember that whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies" (Ensign, May 1996). The Lord has promised his servants that he, "will go before [their] face... [and] be on [their] right hand and on [their] left, and [His] Spirit shall be in [their] hearts, and [His] angels round about [them]" (D&C 84:88). He inspires his servants to lead well, when they are called to such, and even to use effective methods that may be considered unorthodox or different from the identified or standard practices of the day.
We get to choose who we will follow, but the Lord has promised that if we receive the words of his prophets "as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith," then "the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good and his name's glory" (D&C 21:5-6). When we follow the Lord and his chosen leaders we can "rejoice in his glorious gospel and bask in its life-giving light" while "they who reject this glad message shall never such happiness know" (We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet, Hymns, 19).
