Chapter 16 – Planning – Building a Wall
Planning – Building a Wall
The Beauty of Successful Execution
The successful implementation of well-crafted plans creates undeniable satisfaction. Like a traditional barn-raising that falters through insufficient participation or resources, ineffective planning can derail even the most promising initiatives. Nehemiah exemplifies leadership with clear purpose – rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls while revitalizing national spirit. These walls represented more than mere physical protection; they symbolized national identity and sovereignty. When Jerusalem was conquered and its walls destroyed, the people experienced profound demoralization. Rebuilding these structures would signal national resurgence.
Nehemiah’s leadership galvanized people toward this reconstruction despite ridicule from other regional leaders who doubted that “small stones or weak people” could achieve such ambitious goals. Through strategic planning and focused execution, Nehemiah proved these skeptics wrong.
The Restoration Narrative
Nehemiah 1:1 The words of Nechemyah the son of Hakhalyah: It was in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the capital, 2 that Hanani, one of my kinsmen, came out of Y’hudah with some men; and I asked them about the remnant of Judeans who had escaped the exile, and about Yerushalayim. 3 They answered me, “The remnant of the exile left there in the province are in great distress and are held in contempt, the wall of Yerushalayim is in ruins, and its gates have been completely burned up.” 4 On hearing this answer, I sat down and wept; I mourned for several days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
2:15 So I went up the valley in the dark and went on inspecting the wall; then I turned back, entered through the Valley Gate and returned, 16 without the officials’ knowing where I had gone or what I had done. Till then, I hadn’t said anything about this to the Judeans, cohanim, nobles, officials or anyone who would be responsible for the work. 17 Afterwards, I said to them, “You see what a sad state we are in, how Yerushalayim lies in ruins, with it gates burned up. Come, let’s rebuild the wall of Yerushalayim, so that we won’t continue in disgrace.” 18 I also told them of the gracious hand of my God that had been on me, also what the king had said to me. They said, “Let’s start building at once,” and energetically set out to do this good work. 19 When Sanvalat the Horoni, Toviyah the servant, the ‘Amoni, and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they began mocking us and jeering, “What is this you are doing? Are you going to rebel against the king?” 20 But I answered them: “The God of heaven will enable us to succeed. Therefore we his servants will set about rebuilding. But you have no share, right or history to commemorate in Yerushalayim.”
5:15 The earlier governors, before me, had burdened the people, taxing them more than one-and-a-half pounds of silver shekels for food and wine; and even their servants lorded it over the people. But I didn’t, because I feared God. 16 Moreover, I put all my energy into working on this wall. We didn’t buy any land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. 17 There were 150 leaders and other Judeans who ate at my table, besides those who came to us from the surrounding nations. 18 Every day one ox, six choice sheep, and fowl were prepared for me, and every ten days a supply of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of all this, I never claimed the governor’s allowance, because the people were already bearing the heavy burden of their labor.
Strategic Planning Elements
Initial Response and Assessment
Nehemiah’s planning process began with emotional engagement followed by deliberate action. Upon hearing about Jerusalem’s condition, he “sat down and wept… mourned for several days, fasting and praying” (1:4) before initiating recovery strategies. This emotional connection created personal investment in the project’s outcome without paralyzing his capacity for reasoned planning.
His reconstruction initiative targeted walls rather than the Temple itself, which had been completed fourteen years earlier (Ezra 6:15). The disorganized and fearful remnant population had failed to rebuild protective fortifications around the sacred site. Nehemiah recognized that physical security and national pride required these defensive structures, making wall reconstruction his primary objective.
Reconnaissance Before Implementation
Rather than announcing grandiose plans without factual foundation, Nehemiah conducted discreet reconnaissance to assess actual conditions. “I went up the valley in the dark and went on inspecting the wall” (2:15). This clandestine investigation allowed unbiased evaluation without triggering premature opposition or creating unrealistic expectations.
This behind-the-scenes assessment exemplifies the management principle that effective planning requires ground-truth information rather than assumptions. Every significant initiative benefits from preliminary investigation establishing accurate baseline conditions before public commitment to specific outcomes.
Purpose-Driven Objectives
Nehemiah pursued reconstruction with pure motives rather than self-aggrandizement or financial gain. He explicitly contrasted his approach with previous governors who “had burdened the people, taxing them more than one-and-a-half pounds of silver” while he “never claimed the governor’s allowance” (5:15-18). This principled leadership established moral authority that enhanced his effectiveness.
This purpose-orientation highlights the distinction between goal achievement and underlying motivation. While profit generation and social benefit aren’t mutually exclusive, primary motivation significantly influences implementation approaches. Managers pursuing financial returns as primary objectives make different decisions than those pursuing social impact with financial sustainability as supporting goal. Nehemiah achieved his desired outcomes – protecting his people and defeating enemies – without financial motivation clouding his judgment or compromising his leadership credibility.
Organizational Implementation
Unified Purpose Development
Nehemiah mobilized collective action through sequential motivation steps. First, he established shared understanding of current problems – “You see what a sad state we are in, how Yerushalayim lies in ruins” (2:17). Then he created a unified purpose addressing both practical needs and emotional significance – rebuilding walls would provide physical protection while eliminating “disgrace” (2:17).
When the project faced opposition and worker fatigue, Nehemiah reinforced commitment through family-based motivation: “Remember Adonai, who is great and fearful; and fight for your brothers, sons, daughters, wives and homes” (4:14). This interwoven practical-emotional motivation framework created sustainable commitment despite significant obstacles.
Resource Optimization Through Division of Labor
When construction faced simultaneous challenges of worker fatigue and external threats, Nehemiah implemented sophisticated division of labor:
Y’hudah was saying, “The strength of the people who carry loads away is starting to fail, and there is so much rubble that we can’t build the wall.” Our enemies were saying, “They won’t know or see anything, until we have already infiltrated them and begun killing them and stopping the work…” (4:10-11)
From then on, half of my men would do the work; and half of them held the spears, shields, bows and armor; while the leaders stood guard behind the entire house of Y’hudah, as they continued building the wall. Those who carried loads held their loads with one hand and carried a weapon in the other. (4:16-17)
This approach addressed multiple organizational challenges simultaneously:
- Protected workers from external threats through dedicated security personnel
- Reduced fatigue through role rotation between construction and security duties
- Created specialized skill development in both construction and protection functions
- Established cross-training that enhanced workforce flexibility
This rotation system represents sophisticated application of both job rotation and job enrichment principles. While contemporary managers typically implement job rotation for skill development and engagement, Nehemiah’s application prevented burnout while creating dual competencies beneficial after project completion.
Communication Systems Development
Nehemiah established clear communication channels essential for coordinating distributed workforce. “The man to sound the alarm on the shofar stayed with me” (4:18). This system, reminiscent of Joshua’s approach at Jericho (Joshua 6:16), established reliable communication across dispersed work areas.
While the text doesn’t specify training protocols for these signals, the implementation implies systematic instruction in specific sound patterns and corresponding actions—an early warning system enabling coordinated response to threats against any section of the extensive construction project.
This communication framework parallels modern organizational equivalents from technological solutions like instant messaging to industry-specific protocols like Trader Joe’s bell system (one ring summoning cashiers, two rings requesting assistance, three rings calling for management intervention). Effective organizations develop contextually appropriate communication systems that facilitate information flow while minimizing work disruption.
Directive Leadership
Opposition Management
Nehemiah demonstrated exceptional adversity management when facing determined opposition. Sanballat’s psychological warfare included public ridicule – “What are these Jewish weaklings doing? Will they reinforce the wall? Will they bring offerings? Can they finish in a day? Can they restore the stones out of the mounds of dirt, when they have been charred?” (3:34) – and subsequent escalation through multiple disruption attempts (6:1-14).
Rather than becoming distracted or demoralized by these attacks, Nehemiah maintained focus on project objectives while implementing countermeasures against specific threats. This selective engagement demonstrates the managerial principle that not every challenge requires response, but strategic priorities warrant vigorous defense when directly threatened.
Nehemiah’s persistence against determined opposition built significant organizational trust. When leaders demonstrate willingness to confront external threats protecting organizational interests, they develop substantial goodwill that enhances future directive effectiveness. His defense of both the project and worker safety likely strengthened his subsequent leadership authority.
Performance Evaluation
Exceptional Execution Standards
Nehemiah’s project implementation achieved exceptional standards across multiple performance dimensions. While comparable projects typically required extensive timeframes (Noah’s ark construction spanned approximately 100 years), Jerusalem’s wall reconstruction completed in just 52 days. This extraordinary efficiency while maintaining quality standards represented exceptional performance under adverse conditions.
This achievement illustrates the management principle that truly exceptional performance requires excellence across multiple metrics simultaneously. While some managers deliver quality at expense of budget or timeliness, or meet budget constraints through quality compromises, Nehemiah achieved superior results across all performance dimensions.
This comprehensive excellence earned recognition even from determined opponents: “When all our enemies heard about it and the surrounding nations became afraid, our enemies’ self-esteem fell severely; because they realized that this work had been accomplished by our God” (6:15-16). Nehemiah appropriately attributed this success to divine assistance rather than personal capability, demonstrating the leadership principle that proper credit attribution enhances rather than diminishes leadership effectiveness.
Strategic successes should receive appropriate visibility with both internal and external stakeholders. Nehemiah’s achievement gained widespread recognition, enhancing both organizational morale and external perception. Contemporary managers similarly benefit from appropriate communication of significant achievements, though maintaining appropriate credit attribution rather than personal aggrandizement.
Deliverables
Effective implementation requires managers to:
- Prioritize Action Over Rhetoric: Focus on achieving results rather than discussing future intentions.
- Optimize Resource Allocation: Assign appropriate personnel to primary tasks while ensuring adequate support structures prevent distraction from core objectives.
- Accelerate Strategic Implementation: Complete critical initiatives with maximum efficiency, particularly when competitive threats could exploit delays.
- Conduct Discreet Reconnaissance: Gather accurate baseline information before public commitment to specific outcomes or timelines.
- Develop Multi-Dimensional Motivation: Create both practical and emotional engagement with organizational objectives to sustain commitment during implementation challenges.
Discussion Questions
- Have you ever given the Lord credit for a hard-fought victory/success?
- Do you think it was a good idea for Nehemiah to split the workers? What other strategy can you think of to divide the worker and keep the work moving forward in a safe manner?
- If you were one of the enemies, how would you have responded before, during, and after the wall was rebuilt?
