

Servant leaders exhibit a strong sense of awareness. It is through these acts of humility that he was granted permission to go and rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem. He believed that he could only win the king’s favor after he had won God’s favor. Before going to seek permission to the King, Nehemiah knelt and prayed to God. Nehemiah was aware of his role as a servant, and he submitted fully to King Artaxerxes while waiting for his time of leadership to mature. Additionally, a servant leader understands the difference that exists between power and authority. It is through reading the Bible that one realizes the calling and mission that God has for him. While communication skills are relevant, a servant leader should learn to listen to juniors or top leaders and from God.God reveals himself through the Bible, His holy book. Nehemiah exhibited a holy life while waiting for a response from his God.Listening skills are necessary for any leadership position. Biblically, a servant leader is prayerful. The leader may listen to God or the followers before making a decision. Greenleaf (2003) explains that the primary quality of a servant leader is to listen. Servant leaders exhibit unique personal attributes before going out to lead others. It is through humility through serving God that a servant gets God’s calling to serve His people.


Nehemiah fits into this category in the sense that he served as a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes before he received a call to lead God’s people in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem (Maciariello, 2003).Lynch and Friedman (2013) explain that servant leaders are humble before God. In Robert Greenleaf’s website (2019), a servant leader is defined as “a leader that seeks to enrich the lives of the followers, through the creation of a caring world…” Greenleaf emphasized that a servant leader starts by being servants first.Before one can lead others, one has to endure a moment of serving others. These unique attributes make servant leaders successful in leading others while at the same time having a positive impact on their followers. Robert Greenleaf (2002) discusses ten unique attributes exhibited by servant leaders. The basic definition of a leader is that the person stands out unique by influencing followers. Nehemiah is one of the biblical leaders that exemplified the qualities of servant leaders. Robert Greenleaf was the first to coin the idea of servant leadership from the biblical teachings, and it has found significant applications in transforming and inducing changes in organizations. When studying biblical leaders, the philosophy of servant leadership finds essential application in understanding how leaders relate to their followers. While contemporary leaders in the present era can be emulated, some organizations have considered drawing inspirations from the Biblical teachings.Leaders that have been nurtured from the biblical context are believed to be useful in cultivating followers and implementing change in organizations.

Competition in the market, changing needs and preferences of workers and employees, and the need to remain useful and productive has made organizations to think of effective leadership styles.
