Goodwill
And some of the heads of the fathers’ houses gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury one thousand gold drachmas, fifty basins, and five hundred and thirty priestly garments. Some of the heads of the fathers’ houses gave to the treasury of the work twenty thousand gold drachmas, and two thousand two hundred silver minas. And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand gold drachmas, two thousand silver minas, and sixty-seven priestly garments. – Nehemiah 7:70-72
Another key lesson every leader can learn from Nehemiah is goodwill. Having set out to tackle the problem of providing housing and social services for the citizens, resources were needed to put these in place and Nehemiah himself being a public servant could not have afforded to put up the kind of budget that would be needed. However, he enjoyed enough goodwill from the leaders and the people for them to generously give from their own resources to get the project underway.
Nehemiah was able to command this kind of support because the people were aware of his forthrightness and were assured that he would put whatever resources they entrust to him to judicious use. The goodwill he had in the emotional bank of the people was enough lever to effortlessly pull donations from them without a lengthy speech to canvass them. He was also straightforward with them that they all could see the progress of the works from the moment he started and how he had denied himself to ensure that the people were not taxed more than necessary for the construction of the wall and his own statutory provisions. Therefore, when it was time for them to repay that kindness, they did not need much persuasion to give.
A leader must enjoy the goodwill of both internal and external stakeholders, that is the people he is leading and external players whose contribution may prove key to his success. Nehemiah again demonstrated considerable adeptness in this regard, and it was critical to the success of his administration. After the people have all pooled in resources for the next phase of work, the Bible records that “…the religious leaders, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the servants in the house of the Lord, and all Israel, lived in their cities. When the seventh month had come, the sons of Israel were in their cities” [Nehemiah 7:73]. Mission accomplished.
For you to record success in your leadership career, you need to be forthright and upright in your conduct in office. You also need to go out of your way to cultivate relationship with stakeholders as well as maintain an open communication line with the people you lead.
You Will Succeed in Jesus Name!
Also read:
- Nehemiah’s Leadership Playbook: Data Collection
- Introducing Daily Dew Series
- The Cleaning Lady
- A Landlord In Less Than A Year
Discover more from Daily Dew Devotional
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.