92 THE BIBLE ON LEADERSHIP
had just succeeded Moses, the most powerful of Jewish leaders to that
time, it was important that he communicate consistency of message and
also invoke the power of his predecessor. He did this with a masterly
combination of verbal and nonverbal techniques.
First, Joshua ‘‘set the stage’’ dramatically by building an altar on a
mountaintop exactly as Moses had commanded. He also repeated
Moses’ message exactly, which further reminded his followers of his
direct acquisition of power from Moses, and he arranged the people
exactly as Moses had commanded. ‘‘There, in the presence of the Israel-
ites, Joshua copied on the stones the law of Moses... All Israel...
were standing on both sides of the ark... as Moses, the servant of the
Lord had formerly commanded... Afterward, Joshua read all the words
of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the book
of the Law. There was not a word that Moses had commanded that
Joshua did not read.’’ ( Josh. 8:32–35)
Another biblical master communicator was Ezra. Ezra understood
the power of verbal communication, supporting nonverbal dramatics,
and repetition, particularly when these were reinforced by the power
of group communication.
Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly... He read aloud
from daybreak until noon... And all the people listened attentively...
Ezra... stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion... Ezra
opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing
above them, and as he opened it, the people stood up. (Neh. 8:2–8:5)What CEO or political leader wouldn’t envy the communicative
power that Ezra possessed? Moreover, this was not just a one-time
event, it was an ongoing campaign. ‘‘Day after day, from the first day
to the last, Ezra read from the book.’’ (Neh. 8:18)
A modern leader who appreciates the negative or positive power of
communication is Eric Schmidt, CEO of Novell, who noted that the
company he had taken over frequently exhibited dysfunctional commu-
nication patterns. He observes that in a culture of fear, people often