The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice (Proverbs 12:15).

Have you ever wondered what the Twelve Disciples might have been like, if Jesus had chosen them based on popular 21st Century leadership principles?  They would have been a much smarter, more specialized, more talented, more experienced group of people who represented the "cream of the crop" of 1st Century Palestine:  probably several prominent Jewish teachers and scribes, maybe some military masterminds, and certainly some of the most influential village elders.  It would be all about finding the "All-Stars" of that generation and forging a strategic environment that would allow all of them to create a synergistic energy for creativity and change.

And yet, Jesus took a very different approach.  He recruited a bunch of unlearned, "ordinary" guys who had been working jobs as fishermen and tax collectors and who were barely old enough to shave.  And he just walked around with them, teaching and working his miracles and letting the Twelve come along for the ride.

It seems to me that teachability must have been pretty high on the list of criteria for Jesus selecting the Twelve.  In the Gospel of Matthew, it seems to spell this out quite explicitly -- with the first disciples being recruited in chapter 4 (verses 18-22) and then Jesus' very first words of teaching to them being the Beatitudes, which say how God blesses the poor in spirit (those who realize their need for him)... the meek... and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness... All of this is very much in keeping with Solomon's wisdom from Proverbs chapters 12 and 13, which praises the man who listens to advice, accepts rebuke, and allows his opinions to be changed when necessary.

As a matter of fact, it's the fools who feel so confident about their chosen direction.  The experts and All-Stars often turn out to be the least wise, consequently, because they're often the least teachable.  I've observed this in my own experience, as well as in the pages of the Bible.  So often, the ones who are the most charasmatic, most gifted, and most "together" prove to be a tremendous disappointment when it comes to actual leadership and wise decision-making.  Because they're not teachable.  They're not humble.  They're not flexible.  The way of a fool seems right to him -- even when it's destructive and disappointing -- but a wise man listens to advice, when necessary.