Foresight
Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me. – Nehemiah 2:7-8
Foresight is yet another leadership attribute we can learn from the playbook of Nehemiah. He ticked all the boxes befitting a great leader in that he was not just burdened by the plight of his people, but he was also clear about what he needed to do to improve their welfare, while being very articulate about his ideas and well-grounded in faith as well.
Knowing what he wanted to do was not enough, however, he also demonstrated a great degree of foresight by anticipating the security risks ahead of him in journeying several thousands of miles through the wilderness from Persia to Jerusalem. He also knew that the people and the land he was going to were impoverished and might not have available all the materials he would need for him to start his rebuilding project in earnest.
Therefore, he requested the king to give him letters of permission to the various governors whose territories he would need to journey through enroute to Judah for safe passage. That way, he would guarantee his safety and would not be considered a security threat by those territorial authorities. In those days, it would take days for messages to be delivered from one end of the region to another. So, if he was suspected to be a security risk by any of the governors and was arrested as a result, it would take days for an approval message to be delivered to king Artaxerxes to clear him to proceed on his journey. And who knows how many of those governors would detain him as he passed through their region?
But by being proactive, Nehemiah facilitated the success of his endeavor by requesting King Artaxerxes to give him an official pass for each of the territories he would be passing along the way. This way, he saved himself from unnecessary delays, not to talk of harassment, and thus ensured that he arrived at his destination on time for his mission.
Another way Nehemiah demonstrated foresight was by requesting the king to authorize the keeper of the forest to give him timber for the rebuilding project he was going to undertake in Jerusalem. This is particularly instructive because he could have waited until he arrived at Jerusalem to do an assessment and then determine what materials he would need. This might also be too late as he would not have the audience of the king then to make his request. But by thinking ahead, he identified timber as a critical material he would need ‘to make beams for the gates of the citadel of the temple, for the city wall, and for the house’ he would live in. Now, timber is an expensive building material then and even now and purchasing it might have affected his budget in no small way. But by demonstrating foresight, Nehemiah was able to secure this important material at no cost.
As a leader, you will do well to cultivate foresight as a personal strength, because a leader must essentially think and plan ahead to be able to effectively mobilize his lieutenants and then lead the people. Foresight distinguished Nehemiah as a leader, it should be an attribute by which you are described as well.
You Will Succeed in Jesus Name!
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