A few years ago I heard a quote from a fellow lead-follower of Christ who said,
“When a leader’s vision (or the vision of those the leader is seeking to influence) is the edge of the rut they are stuck in, you know that the organization is in trouble.”
If we care about impacting the lives of those we are called to lead for the sake of Christ and His kingdom, then the last thing we want is for them to get stuck in a rut of complacency without a clear and compelling God-given vision to follow.
Am I right? Most of us are burdened to help these stuck, Christ-followers. The question—and even passionate pleas we present to God, however—is how?
Nehemiah: A Transformational Leader Who Shows Us the Way
This is one of the many reasons Nehemiah is one of my favorite Bible characters. He had the colossal challenge of stirring up the people of Jerusalem to rebuild the walls after they had lain in shambles for well over 120 years! From his riveting example, you and I can learn 6 Ways to Inspire the People We Lead to Get Out of the Rut They May Be In, and on to following and fulfilling their God-given vision. Here are the first three:
1. We Must Have a Compelling Vision Birthed in Our Hearts by God
I don’t know what it’s like for you. But for me, if I am not absolutely certain that God is in anything that involves significant change, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get others to embrace it.
I need to have that internal sense from God that screams, “I was born for this!” Then, I can champion any change that involves lifting people out of their ruts.
A wise pastor I have known for years says frequently, “If it be of God, nothing will stop it. If it be of man, nothing will make it work.” (See Acts 6:33-40)
Now I know what many of you are probably thinking right now. “Yeah, that’s great, but how can I get that kind of a vision?” The answer to that question could be fodder for future Tipping Points, but suffice to say, it involves begging God for it through times of intense desperation, and brokenness in prayer as Nehemiah did in Chapter 1.
2. We Must Have the Courage to Define Reality
Take a look at how Nehemiah did this when he was casting the vision for the people to join him in his rebuilding efforts:
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we’re in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be a disgrace. (Nehemiah 2:17)
I believe the reason many get stuck in a rut of complacency is because they can no longer see or feel what reality is and where the real problems lie.
Just like a child who has gotten so used to the dirty, germ infested, snot-smeared security blanket he has been dragging behind him that he has no concept of what it would be like to walk around with a brand new one!
I love what Nehemiah does here! He doesn’t sugar coat anything. He says it like it is: “We’re in trouble here!”
Now that may sound like he’s stating the obvious, but that’s exactly what needed to be said. Though everyone else knew it (for over 120 years to be exact), no one had the guts to stand up, draw attention to the problem, and courageously and forthrightly proclaim, “This has got to change!”
O how our world needs such courageous, reality definers today. Those who can clearly identify what the problem is, suggest a Divine-led solution, and call others to action! Will you be one of those? PLEASE?
3. We Must Communicate Why the Current Reality is No Longer Acceptable.
Some of you might remember Jo Frost from the Supernanny. Jo would answer the call to help parents who were in need of some huge change in their family dynamics.
Most of these parents struggled with disciplinary issues with their children. They knew some major changes were needed, but they didn’t know how to bring them about.
The Supernanny would model for them what to do and how to do it. She would get eyeball to eyeball with the offending child. She would hold out her finger, pointing it directly at him or her. Then she would say, firmly and forthrightly, “This behavior is not acceptable!”
I love that! The parents already knew their child’s behavior was not acceptable. They just would never say it!
In the simplest of terms, leadership is moving people from point A to point B. From where they are, to where God wants them to be. In order to do this, it is just as important to define clearly what point “A” is (and why that reality is not acceptable anymore), as it is to cast the vision for what point “B” looks like.
That’s what Nehemiah did. God birthed a divine vision in his heart. He defined what was real–what others were not willing to acknowledge. And then he said, “This is no longer acceptable! This has got to change!”
And then, he stated why. “The state of our ruin is a disgrace to God.” It’s interesting that he didn’t appeal to external, conventional motivations like: “We need to beautify our city,”, or “We need to attract more tourism,”, or “We need to put up these walls as an effort to strengthen our homeland security.” No. He appealed to their internal, divine DNA that said, “We can’t be a disgrace as a people of God anymore.”
- Do you have a bead on what God’s vision is for your leadership? If so, how can it be strengthened even more? If not, what can you do understand more clearly what that is?
- What are the ruts that your company, your church, your community or family have gotten caught in? What is getting in the way of a true, God-honoring vision? Is God nudging you to be the whistleblower to define what’s real and to pose some possible solutions? What can you implement from Nehemiah’s example that will help you do that in such a way that will be accepted and followed?
- What are the practical or biblical reasons why your company, your church, your community, or family cannot stay stuck in that rut anymore? How could those be articulated in such a way that touches the divine DNA that exists in every human being?
(For those who might be interested, KWM has a seminar called “Converge” that helps people to identify their God-given gifts and vision for their lives. It can be used in churches as an equipping / training tool and to increase volunteerism for its ministries. It is also very applicable for companies who want to use it as a team building and skill equipping opportunity. We hope you will reach out to connect with us to find out more!)
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