“For it is your business, when the wall next door catches fire."- Horace, ancient Roman poet

Recently I visited the Great Wall of China. Standing in one of its battlements, my eyes lost focus as the slithering structure faded into the foggy horizon. In places, the stone steps on top of the wall were as steep as the surrounding cliffs.

During the 5th century BC through the 16th century AD, an estimated two to three million people died while working on the network of walls. More than a million men guarded an important section during the Ming Dynasty. In 1644, a Chinese general betrayed his emperor and opened the gates to the enemy.

While the Great Wall was taking shape 2,500 years ago, another leader named Nehemiah was building a defensive ring around Jerusalem. As a trusted Jewish court official under King Artaxerxes of Persia, he received permission to lead a group of fellow Israelites home to rebuild their capital. 

Nehemiah envisioned a thriving city around the new temple – houses full of laughter, busy streets, a bustling marketplace. But none of that would be possible without protection from unfriendly neighbors. Ezra’s new temple and the budding settlements were easy targets.

When Nehemiah entered the ruins of Jerusalem, its restoration dominated his every thought. As the appointed regional governor, he called a meeting of all the priests, nobles and officials to lay out his plans. Immediately, three prominent men doubted his authority, sparking a wave of opposition. Nehemiah began construction anyway. He organized a massive labor force of families, tribes, government officials, merchants, goldsmiths, and priests to work on 45 individual sections.

But the criticism escalated. Soon, Nehemiah’s very presence upset the local balance of power and trade. How about this for a list of stressors on a leader?

• He had to inspire his overwhelmed workers while simultaneously beating back violent critics
• He had to redeploy half his workforce from building the wall to defending it
• His guards went to bed every night fully armed
• When a famine broke out, he personally fed hundreds of people
• As the work neared completion, his enemies smeared his reputation

These obstacles couldn’t prevent the wall’s completion in only 52 days. When the news spread that the structure stood strong, his enemies backed down. Governor Nehemiah then touched up some of the crumbling houses, took a census of all the families, and infused Jerusalem with a new population of Jews from the surrounding cities and towns. Finally, Nehemiah orchestrated a massive celebration and dedication ceremony. Mission accomplished.

Can you relate to Nehemiah’s leadership lions? Maybe you face competitive threats, security dangers, market fluctuation, angry customers, a PR nightmare, poor morale, liability risks, environmental threats, or internal opposition. You might conquer one issue to see another take its place. Protecting against threats like these requires a formidable wall. Let’s look at Nehemiah’s three laws of wall-building:

Law #1:  People will build up stronger protection when they’re defending their own turf. This psychological tendency is just as true in today’s selfish world. Nehemiah grouped people into like-minded teams, assigning many of them to build sections in front of their own homes. They didn’t need much more motivation to work.

Law #2:   Ignore the majority of threatening comments. Nehemiah’s grace under attack is reminiscent of Gideon. When we were building our first online portal, a large company – one I hoped to sell advertising to – threatened to build a similar Web site to directly compete with us. We stayed our course and they ended up being all bluster. The company ultimately became an advertising client. If we had reacted to their threat, we would’ve wasted a lot of money and energy.

Law #3:  Train people in defensive management techniques.  Similar to the first law, internal threats should be handled by the people who are most affected by them. For example, a 2004 study revealed how teachers can effectively deal with defiant students. The study recommended several “defensive management” techniques like conflict avoidance, giving students positive feedback, and encouraging a student immediately after a disciplinary situation.

People at all levels in an organization instinctively practice self-defense from time to time. A little direction may be all the encouragement they need to help protect the temple you so painstakingly built.

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Tom Harper is president of NetWorld Alliance, which publishes www.churchcentral.com and several online news portals in the retail, banking, technology and restaurant industries.

He is author of Leading from the Lions’ Den: Leadership Principles from Every Book of the Bible, (Sept. 2010, B&H Publishing). His Twitter account is @TomRHarper.