The Bible presents us with a wonderful example of 21st century leadership from the 5th century B.C. story of Nehemiah.

Nehemiah was clearly what "Leadership" author J.M. Burns calls a "transforming leader." Burns defines a transforming leader as one who "recognizes and exploits an existing need or demand of a potential follower" and "looks for potential motives in followers, seeks to satisfy higher needs, and engages the full person of the follower."

According to the story told in the book of Nehemiah, members of the faithful remnant in Jerusalem had already seen attempts to rebuild the walls falter, and one such attempt was pulled down. They could easily have been discouraged, and loathe to participate in another attempt.

With these obstacles in place, Nehemiah maintained an eye on his Source, and empathized with the workers. Each was designated to work on defending his own space by rebuilding the wall. Nehemiah and his personal assistants helped everybody. They demonstrated no favoritism and paid constant attention to defending from the attacks that had ruined prior efforts.

Transforming leadership "is dynamic leadership in the sense that the leaders throw themselves into a relationship with followers who will feel ‘elevated' by it and often become more active themselves, thereby creating new cadres of leaders," Burns wrote. Nehemiah appealed to the self-interests of the remnant, and raised their sights above daily survival to consider higher-order needs of shelter and belonging.

In addition to upgrading the sights of his followers, Nehemiah actively sought to avoid some of the pitfalls that were common to his contemporaries.

"Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land" (Neh 5:16). He did not propose that they should "do as I say, not as I do" but rather, he showed the way through his own considered behavior. His servants were not privileged, but also worked on the wall.

"Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations" (Neh 5: 17 NIV). In this, too, Nehemiah showed the way. As governor of Jerusalem he was entitled to tax the residents, a tax paid in silver, food and wine; this was his income. Instead, he did not tax them, rather he fed large numbers of them at his own expense, at his own table, enjoying his own hospitality. Thus Nehemiah called the Judeans to a still-higher goal, as a Burns-style Transforming Leader does.

Further, Nehemiah banned the usurious loans being made by other nobles and officials, and the slavery that was imposed by these loan sharks. He had been redeeming the slaves, again at great personal expense. By this he demonstrated the pursuit of an even higher goal: community.

The leadership tactics employed by Nehemiah are worthy of imitation. He was not monolithic in his approach to leadership situations. Beginning with high directive behavior, Nehemiah said, "Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace" (Neh. 2: 17b NIV).

Initially, the directing of so many work crews provided little opportunity for supportive behavior, so leadership expert and author, Ken Blanchard's mode of Situational Leadership II would have labeled Nehemiah's leadership style as "directing."

As often happens, "The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall (Neh. 4:10 NIV). At this point, Blanchard's model calls for more supportive behavior, and that's what Nehemiah provided: "Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows" and he proclaimed: "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome …" (Neh. 4:13,14 NIV).

Nehemiah continued supportive behavior, while providing less direction, as appropriate. To those followers who were highly competent and highly committed, Nehemiah delegated: "I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel…" (Neh. 7:2 NIV). Finally, Nehemiah removed all support and direction, and returned to the king's palace.

Nehemiah never read Burns or Blanchard. The son of Hacaliah, descendant of Judah, was blessed with a faith in God that empowered him to model leadership that not only transformed his followers, but transformed the nation of Israel.

--From a paper presented to the faculty of the Geneva College, 2001.