268 Global Ethics for Leadership
21.3 Reliability and Biblical Core Values
One the attempts to create a link between the modern discourse on
management and core leadership values and biblical tradition is to find
orientation in key figures which can be regarded as leaders in biblical
times. Nehemia was one of them and is viewed as one of the great lead-
ers and managers of the Old Testament. He led a group of Jews living in
Judah to rebuild the walls and gates of Jerusalem in only 52 days! The
determination, credibility, visionary leadership and trustworthiness’ of
his person has inspired some to articulate biblical key principles of reli-
ability and visionary leadership.^219 If Nehemiah can be interpreted as
incorporation of biblical principles of leadership, other biblical leader-
ship figures such as Moses or Jesus himself will not provide less insights
on reliability and visionary leadership that can be found in him.
The three core notions which come to mind in Biblical tradition re-
garding the understanding of reliability are certainly “Faithfulness”,
“Righteousness” and “Mercy”. All of these are to be understood pri-
marily as notions attributed to God and therefore also receive their pri-
mary interpretations as qualities of the saving, healing and restoring
activity of God. Scripture speaks often of God’s faithfulness. Over and
over we learn that when God says He will do something, He does it
(even when it seems impossible). When He says something will happen,
it happens. This is true for the past, the present and the future. If this
were not the case—if God were unfaithful even once—He would not be
God, and we could not rely on any of His promises. But as it is, “Not
219
Kyle Patterson, Transformational Leadership, 22 Leadership Principles to
Transform your organisation; in:
http://uniteleadership.com/products/transformational-leadership-e -book; see
also: Christopher L. Scott: 12 Leadership Principles from the Book of Nehemia,
in: http://christopherscottblog.com/leadership-principles-nehemiah/; see also
Lovett H. Weems, 10 Leadership Lessons from Nehemia, in:
http://www.churchleadership.com/leadingideas/leaddocs/2005/050817_article.ht
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