Nehemiah The Leadership Guru

If you don’t know the story of Nehemiah, very simply put, he worked for a king and found out his hometown, Jerusalem, had been destroyed. He got permission from the king to go back and lead the rebuilding of Jerusalem. In these events are 25 leadership principles Nehemiah applied thousands of years ago that ensured his success. Fortune 100 companies are achieving success today using the same principles – some even introduced as the latest leadership “trend”.

1)      Out of Nehemiah’s passion for Jerusalem, his vision was birthed. His vision came first, and he clearly saw the dream. (Nehemiah 1:3&4)

2)      Starting with the vision, Nehemiah reverse engineered detailed plans from where he was to where he needed to be. (Nehemiah 2:4-8)

3)      Nehemiah was not in a rush; he took his time before exposing his vision to just anyone. (Nehemiah 2:11)

4)      Nehemiah took a very careful and thorough assessment of the situation. (Nehemiah 2:13&15)

5)      Nehemiah gave a realistic evaluation and only then revealed his vision. (Nehemiah 2:17)

6)      Naysayers are revealed with every vision. Nehemiah did not get caught up in the drama but stuck to the truth and facts. (Nehemiah 2:19&20)

7)      Nehemiah and his team celebrated quick victories to set the momentum and the tone. (Nehemiah 3:1)

8)      Nehemiah gave detailed descriptions of the teams or groups and their different responsibilities and how they all contributed to the overall goal. Everyone knew their role. (Nehemiah 3:3-32)

9)      Nehemiah experienced conflict within the group, but he did not let it stop the overall progress. (Nehemiah 3:5)

10)   Nehemiah had his share of naysayers, but stayed above the drama. (Nehemiah 4:2&3)

11)   Nehemiah prayed often. (Nehemiah 4:9)

12)   Nehemiah’s team was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Nehemiah encouraged them and did not belittle or turn a blind eye to their concerns. (Nehemiah 4:10,11&14)

13)   Nehemiah did not subscribe to the four hour work week. (Nehemiah 4:21)

14)   Nehemiah confronted wrongs and let it be known mistreatment would not be tolerated. (Nehemiah 5:6&7)

15)   Nehemiah led by example. (Nehemiah 5:16)

16)   Nehemiah was selective in the method he used to communicate, but never, under any circumstances, ended communications. Even at the risk of being redundant, he always communicated. (Nehemiah 6:3&4)

17)   Nehemiah knew sustaining plans were needed after the main initiative was complete. (Nehemiah 7:4&5)

18)   Nehemiah knew the importance of revisiting the “why” or mission statement. (Nehemiah 8:8)

19)   Nehemiah received agreement from the team after clearly revisiting the “why” and the mission. (Nehemiah 9:38)

20)   Nehemiah set systems in place. (Nehemiah 10:29)

21)   Nehemiah never missed the opportunity to celebrate victories. A sincere big deal was made at the completion of every goal. (Nehemiah 12:27)

22)   Nehemiah was consistent and predictable in his actions. (Nehemiah 13:10&11)

23)   Nehemiah delegated responsibility and trusted those to whom he delegated. (Nehemiah 13:13)

24)   Nehemiah never missed an opportunity to reiterate the “why”. (Nehemiah 13:18)

25)   Nehemiah always made sure that each team member knew what they were responsible for and how it contributed to the overall goal. (Nehemiah 13:30)

What’s your greatest take away from Nehemiah’s leadership?