Learning to Lead With NehemiahSample

Read Nehemiah 1:11

I wish I could crawl into Nehemiah’s head and figure out what was going through his mind at this time. What gave him the confidence to think he could build the wall when all others had failed? What skills did he have that qualified him to undertake this task? Maybe we are looking at this all wrong. Maybe he didn’t know he could do it. Maybe it started with a single thought—what if you went to help build the wall? What if he dismissed that thought, but it kept coming back until it became a conviction? What we do know is that a cupbearer became a governor, a builder, a man of arms, a master strategist, and a great leader.

Cupbearer! It sounds like such an easy job until you think about it. Nehemiah had to taste anything the king would drink to ensure it wasn’t poisoned. He was the last line of defense since the king literally trusted Nehemiah with his life. Nehemiah knew what it meant to lay down his life daily to pursue a goal. Nehemiah would have had various safeguards in place to protect the wine or water served to the king. The greatest motivation for doing his job well was if he failed, he would pay for it with his own life. Talk about incentives to have the key to the wine vault with him at all times. He would have had to keep his staff happy to ensure neither he nor the king were targeted with poison. 

Nehemiah would have learned the importance of management and control. Nehemiah was in constant contact with the king and privy to restricted information. He would have seen the king in a foul mood and when he was happy. He would have been there when the king did things worthy of respect, and when he made wrong decisions. Nehemiah would have had to give advice when asked and bite his tongue when not. Nehemiah learned discretion in his duty as cupbearer. He learned leadership and decision making and politics from maintaining close proximity to the king.

He learned everything he needed to become this beacon of leadership as he gave wine to the king. Nehemiah did not disdain his role as unimportant; he used it as a stepping stone to learning. There was no way he would have known the opportunity to be governor would arise. He cultivated excellence without grasping for new positions. Modern wisdom teaches us to be deliberate about climbing the corporate ladder. Nehemiah did not let the lack of opportunity deter him from being the best and learning from the people around him. As the old saying goes: opportunity met preparation! He understood he was in a position of authority for the good of Jerusalem.

David learned to be king of Israel by tending sheep, fighting in the army, and by leading misfits. Joseph learned to be prime minister by leading Potiphar’s house and managing a prison. Paul learned to be a missionary by being a Pharisee persecuting Christians. Moses learned to lead the children of Israel as a prince in the house of Pharaoh and as a shepherd tending Jethro’s sheep. Our training grounds rarely resemble the place God is taking us to. What you need to settle in your heart is this—your experiences today will help you with your future.

Word of the Day : Transferable skills

Take stock of the abilities and skills that you are gaining now.  Even if you are not currently doing what you would like to do in the future, what are you learning now that will help you succeed anywhere you go?