Nehemiah’s Leadership Playbook: Altruism
Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor’s provisions. But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. Indeed, I also continued the work on this wall, and we did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work. – Nehemiah 5:14-16
In continuation of our meditation on the altruistic leadership example of Nehemiah, the first lesson that came out strongly was his self-imposed abstinence from the king’s provisions for 12 years.
Now the king’s provisions were statutory benefits for all governors heading different territories and collecting taxes on behalf of the super kings in those days were entitled. So, Nehemiah would not have done anything wrong to benefit from this largesse before remitting to the king’s coffers.
However, rather than do this, he decided to live on his own resources to reduce the tax burdens the people would have had to bear to cater to his own personal needs as well as meet the monthly target that would be sent to the king.
It is also instructive that Nehemiah did not just impose this restriction upon himself alone, his own ministers and lieutenants also abstained as well. This way, he did not just lead by example but also ensured that his officers also lived to the highest standards of moral conduct by not extorting from the people. They were there to serve the people, and their resolve was a perfect example of leadership by service.
Now, in our contemporary time, how many leaders can one point to that have a similar disposition as Nehemiah? Unfortunately, there are just few of them. The order of the day is for leaders to extort the people and embezzle funds from the state treasury. Even if they were well off before ascending political power or other forms of authority, greed will not allow them to stay off state resources, and they would upgrade their corrupt practices by milking the state dry at the expense of the people whom they took an oath of office to serve.
The contemporary outlook of leadership in the world cuts a very pathetic picture indeed, particularly in developing countries. A leader is not in power to steal but to serve. The power she wields is not meant to oppress, repress and suppress the people but to serve and make life better for them. Many people who hold office do not seem to know this and that is why misery abounds in the world today. Poverty, poor quality of life and low human capital index are nothing but a proof of a failed leadership.
You Will Succeed in Jesus Name!
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