In a Nutshell—a Classic Case Study in Leadership
The man saw a need, rose up, captured a vision, laid a plan, and mobilized others to join him in his cause. In a nutshell, that’s the story of Nehemiah, a classic case study in leadership.
In fact, one distinctive of Nehemiah is that no overt miracles occur in the book. Nobody is healed or raised from the dead. God simply answers prayer by providing a leader with favor, strength and wisdom. Then the work of God is fleshed out in the day-to-day grind of committed workers under one man’s gifted leadership—ordinary people enjoying God’s blessing as they follow a gifted leader. If you want a study in the fundamentals of leadership, this book is a good place to begin.
A contemporary of Ezra, Nehemiah served as cupbearer for King Artaxerxes. He instinctively understood the laws of navigation, connection, timing, buy-in, priorities, the “big mo,” and victory; you see them all in action in these few chapters.
One day Nehemiah heard that the walls surrounding Jerusalem lay in ruins, a disgrace to the Hebrews. Other nations mocked them. This terrible news burdened Nehemiah, and he knew something had to be done. Once he decided to take on the rebuilding project, the walls that for years had been nothing but rubble were completed in just 52 days.
Nehemiah stationed workers in logical positions, and they all labored successfully until they finished the work. Yet it took a coach for them to work as a team. Israel had never lacked for workers; what the nation needed was a leader to chart the course and set the people in motion. Zerubbabel had led the way to restore Jerusalem’s temple; Ezra led the way to restore Jerusalem’s worship. Now, a new leader was needed to restore Jerusalem’s walls.
Under Nehemiah’s leadership, the Jews received a permit for the rebuilding job, gathered the resources, identified workers’ gifts, assigned positions, overcame criticism, and labored until the walls stood firm and tall once more. And it all happened in record time.
God’s Role in Nehemiah
God works behind the scenes to set up Nehemiah’s success. He influences the influencers.
When Nehemiah began to weep and pray over the disgrace of Jerusalem’s ruins, God furnished him with the vision to rebuild the wall. Then God provided favor as Nehemiah sought permission from the king to leave his post and return to Jerusalem to inspect the city. Through the wealth of the Persian Empire, God even supplied the resources Nehemiah would need for rebuilding the wall.
While this book provides extremely pragmatic lessons in sound leadership principles, God remains clearly visible from the beginning. Before he did anything else, Nehemiah took time to pray. Each step of the way, Nehemiah sought the Lord for direction. As the walls rose, so did the hopes of the Jews living in Jerusalem. They saw the rebuilt walls as a symbol that God had not abandoned them and was ready to restore their lives.
Leaders in Nehemiah
Nehemiah, King Artaxerxes, the leaders of each family
Other People of Influence in Nehemiah
Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem
Lessons in Leadership
• You cannot separate good leadership from clear vision.
• Lasting leaders feel the burden of a need before they receive the vision to meet it.
• Leaders act from a deep sense of responsibility.
• The greater the preparation, the easier the motivation.
• Leaders are more fulfilled by empowering others than by doing the work themselves.