If you’ve read much about leadership at all, you have inevitably pondered the question: “Are people born leaders, or can leadership be learned?”
I, for one, believe that the answer is that it’s a combination of both. God is the one who appoints or calls people to various leadership positions. According to scripture, some even have been given the spiritual gift of Leadership or Administration. But, since I often times feel ill-equipped for the things I believe God has called me to champion, I am so grateful that many of the skills necessary to lead can be learned.
That is why Nehemiah is one of my favorite Bible characters. God has taught me, equipped me, mentored me, through his example. In my most recent meditations of Nehemiah, I discovered, hidden in the obscurity of a long list of names in Chapter 3, a Three “N” Approach That Nehemiah Used to Motivate and Maximize the Team God gave him to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Names
Nehemiah wasn’t a “sit behind the desk” kind of leader or manager. He was out and about, putting his hands to the work alongside the people of Israel. And, he knew their names. How do we know? Take a look at the long list in Chapter 3. It includes numerous professions: priests, nobles, goldsmiths, perfume makers, rulers, various other merchants, and those who just managed their own homes.
How in the world were such a broad group of people motivated to team their efforts together to rebuild the wall? I believe, at least in part, it was because of the fact that Nehemiah cared enough to know and record their names in his journal. This shows that he cared for people, valued their contributions, and wanted them to feel they had a significant contribution.
How Important is This? Well, according to motivational speaker, author, and team-builder Patrick Lencioni, it’s extremely important. He states that one of the main reasons many are miserable at work, and even quit their jobs or positions on a team, is because of feelings of anonymity. That is, they don’t feel as if they matter. He reports in his consulting work, having come across people whose bosses don’t even know their name–much less care enough to know what’s going on in their lives.
Knowing people’s names doesn’t come easy for me. Yet, I have worked hard at it. When I served as a Pastor, I would spend a lot of time going through visitor cards, praying for each person by name. I would even have a note card in my shirt pocket to write down the names of people I was struggling to remember, and the ones of new people I had met. The reason I put so much effort into this was because I knew how much knowing and calling someone by name really matters.
Notes
Whether Nehemiah did it himself or not, he kept copious notes. Not only of the names of specific people and families, but he also kept detailed records of where they worked, and the specific repairs they made in rebuilding the wall. Why? Was he just one of those with an anal, “Type A” personalities that was into details? No, I don’t think that was it. Nehemiah wanted to give credit where credit was due: to his team.
Referring to Lencioni again, when people we lead feel that they are irrelevant, not needed, or that they are not making a difference, their motivational tanks will quickly be depleted, maybe even causing them to bail on team objectives and strategies.
Keeping copious notes was one of the many ways Nehemiah sought to recognize and praise the valuable contributions of every person on his wall-building team.
Naysayers
“The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.” (Nehemiah 3:5)
There’s nothing that destroys team morale and motivation more than when someone is not doing their part and no one acknowledges it. There’s a statement I hear in my home frequently: “It’s not fair!” It’s a statement that is often voiced when one of my three kids feel as if they are doing more chores or work than the other.
There’s no getting around it. Unfortunately, some of the same childish ways of thinking and acting follow us into our adult life–even as Christians! When there are hard working team members doing their part, and others are not, it creates tension. If the tension is not addressed by the leader, it will only increase and turn into more destructive attitudes such as anger, bitterness, and/or envy that will pulverize team momentum.
No matter how great the mission, vision, or project, there will always be some who will not climb aboard to be a part–even if the vast majority of others do. In such cases, sometimes there’s not much a leader can do to motivate them to do their part. This is especially true in the church or non-profit organizations when leaders primarily work with volunteers.
Nehemiah was faced with a similar scenario. He really couldn’t “make” the nobles be a part of the wall-building team. But, he did what he could. He called them out and openly acknowledged that there were some who were not putting their hands to the work. In so doing, he recognized and validated the observations of what everyone else had surely noticed.
At the same time, however, he subtly communicated that they could not let a small percentage of the team keep them from accomplishing their God-given mission. In essence, he was saying, “Yeah, it’s not fair. They should do their part, but it’s their choice and we’re not going to let them influence what we do. ONWARD AND UPWARD!”
Questions to Help You Implement a “3N” Approach to Motivating and Maximizing Your Team(s)
- How can you do a better job at remembering names, or making people feel more important than a door mat?
- How can you better acknowledge, praise, and/or reward the contributions that others who are serving with you are making?
- Are there any “naysayers” that are affecting your team or organization’s momentum? How does God want you to courageously address those in a way that is truthful, edifying, and that will build (rather that break-down) team momentum?