One of the hardest parts of leadership is making decisions based on the information you have in the moment.
Every day, information comes in, and decisions go out. That’s the job. People bring concerns, opportunities, conflicts, complaints, and questions. They are looking for answers, and often they’re looking for them quickly.
If I’m honest, one of my leadership weaknesses has been the temptation to make decisions too fast. Sometimes it’s because I want to help. Sometimes it’s because I want to solve the problem and move on. Sometimes it’s because I have a full plate and I’m trying to clear one more thing off of it.
The danger is that speed can create a false sense of clarity.
I’ve learned that when information comes in, my mind often starts making decisions before I’ve heard the whole story. I can begin forming opinions, drawing conclusions, and even creating emotional responses before all the facts are available. By the time additional information arrives, I’ve already started mentally moving down a path.
That’s one of the reasons I find the story of David, Mephibosheth, and Ziba so fascinating.
Most leaders know the story of David showing kindness to Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan and the grandson of Saul. After asking if there was anyone left from Saul’s family to whom he could show kindness for Jonathan’s sake, David brought Mephibosheth into his household, restored Saul’s land to him, and invited him to eat at the king’s table for the rest of his life (2 Samuel 9:1-13).
It’s one of the most beautiful pictures of grace in the Old Testament.
Years later, however, everything changed.
Absalom led a rebellion against David, forcing him to flee Jerusalem (2 Samuel 15:13-14). As David escaped, Mephibosheth’s servant, Ziba, met him on the road with donkeys, bread, fruit, and wine to help sustain David and those traveling with him (2 Samuel 16:1-2).
David asked a simple question: “Where is Mephibosheth?” (2 Samuel 16:3).
Ziba answered that Mephibosheth had remained in Jerusalem because he believed the kingdom of his grandfather Saul would be restored to him (2 Samuel 16:3).
It was a serious accusation. David had every reason to feel hurt and betrayed. In that moment, based solely on what Ziba told him, David made a decision. He transferred everything that belonged to Mephibosheth to Ziba (2 Samuel 16:4).
The matter appeared settled. But it wasn’t.
After Absalom’s rebellion was defeated and David returned toward Jerusalem, Mephibosheth came out to meet him (2 Samuel 19:24). The text tells us that during David’s absence, Mephibosheth had neglected his feet, his beard, and his clothing, all signs of mourning and distress (2 Samuel 19:24).
David immediately asked why he had not gone with him (2 Samuel 19:25).
Mephibosheth then told a completely different story. He claimed that because he was crippled, he had instructed Ziba to prepare a donkey for him so he could accompany David. Instead, Ziba had deceived him, left him behind, and then slandered him before the king (2 Samuel 19:26-27).
Now David had two conflicting stories and no easy way to know which one was true.
As I read that account, I can’t help but think of Proverbs 18:17: “The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him.”
That may be one of the most practical leadership verses in the entire Bible.
What strikes me most is not whether Ziba was lying or whether Mephibosheth was telling the truth. The text never fully answers that question. What stands out to me is how quickly David made his original decision.
I understand why he did it.
He was exhausted. He was under pressure. He was leading through a crisis. He had limited information and was forced to make decisions in real time.
In other words, he was doing what leaders do every day.
That’s what makes this story so relatable.
Most leadership mistakes aren’t made because we’re foolish. They’re made because we’re working with incomplete information. We make decisions under pressure. We make decisions when we’re tired. We make decisions when emotions are high. And sometimes we make decisions before we’ve heard enough.
I’ve done it more times than I’d like to admit.
Someone brings me a concern involving another person. Before I’ve spoken to everyone involved, I find myself leaning toward a conclusion. Sometimes I even start building solutions before I’ve fully understood the problem. The longer I lead, the more I’ve realized that my first responsibility is not making decisions. My first responsibility is gathering understanding.
One of the lessons I’ve learned is that the first story almost always sounds convincing. Maybe that’s because it’s the only story you’ve heard. Nobody is sitting in the room telling the other side yet. Everything feels clear until new information shows up.
Then the other side shows up.
What seemed obvious suddenly becomes complicated.
What seemed clear suddenly becomes cloudy.
What seemed settled suddenly requires discernment.
The challenge is that once a decision has been made, it becomes much harder to reverse. That’s exactly what happened to David. After hearing Mephibosheth’s explanation, David didn’t fully restore everything as it had been before. Instead, he instructed Ziba and Mephibosheth to divide the land between them (2 Samuel 19:29).
It’s an unusual ending.
The text never tells us definitively who was telling the truth. It never fully resolves the tension. We are left wondering whether David made the right decision.
Maybe that’s intentional. Because leadership rarely provides perfect clarity.
Sometimes leaders make decisions before they have all the facts. When new information emerges, they discover there is no clean path back to where they started. Some mistakes can be corrected. Others can only be managed.
David’s compromise feels less like a perfect act of justice and more like a leader trying to stabilize a situation that had become increasingly difficult to untangle.
The longer I lead, the more I’ve realized that some of my biggest mistakes weren’t caused by bad decisions. They were caused by decisions made before I fully understood the entirety of the situation.
The temptation in leadership is to believe our greatest responsibility is making decisions. I’ve come to believe our greatest responsibility is making sure we understand enough before we make them.
The wiser approach is to listen longer. Ask more questions. Gather more information. Delay conclusions.
The goal isn’t to avoid making decisions. Leaders must make decisions every day. The goal is to make sure your decisions are based on understanding rather than assumption or urgency.
David’s mistake wasn’t necessarily trusting the wrong person. His mistake was deciding before he knew enough.
I see myself in that story more than I’d like to admit. Maybe you do too.
Leadership requires decisions, but wisdom requires patience.
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