The Challenge of Organizing People

Scripture — Nehemiah 3:1-2 (NRSV)

Then the high priest Eliashib set to work with his fellow priests and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set up its doors; they consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred and as far as the Tower of Hananel. And the men of Jericho built next to him. And next to them Zaccur son of Imri built.

Devotion

The third chapter of Nehemiah describes the building of the wall of Jerusalem, including its stone walls and wooden gates. In the 32 verses of this chapter, Nehemiah identifies those who actually did the work, mentioning various individuals and groups by name.

This chapter implies without saying so explicitly that the rebuilding effort depended on Nehemiah’s effective organization of people. Because he had carefully surveyed the damaged wall before announcing his intention to rebuild it (2:11-16), Nehemiah had a good idea of how much work needed to be done and how to deploy his available workers. He demonstrated excellence in organizing people to complete a major task.

In my work life, I have repeatedly seen how important good organization is and how bad things can get when such organization is lacking. I expect you can think of examples from your experience of both excellent and poor organization of people.

Though all leaders need to have some organizational ability, certain people are better at this than others. Folks like Nehemiah have a particular talent or gift that isn’t present in all people. For example, I am okay at organizing people, but just okay. I enjoy working as part of a team, but I am not always good at arranging the team for maximum productivity. So, under my leadership as Executive Director, the De Pree Center did fine work, but we weren’t as effective as we might have been.

Back in 2018, I hired Michaela O’Donnell as Senior Director of the De Pree Center. I saw right away that she had a real gift for organizational leadership, so I delegated much of that responsibility to her. Three years later, I knew it was time for Michaela to become the Executive Director and for me to step down so I could focus on crucial projects like Life for Leaders and our Third Third work. Today, because of Michaela’s talent for organization, and because she has excellent support from Ryan Gutierrez, our Director of Operations who also has organizational expertise, the De Pree Center is flourishing in ways it would not have under my leadership.

Could I have improved my ability to organize the people and projects of the De Pree Center? Yes, I’m sure I could have if that had been necessary. But it seems to me that the De Pree Center is better off being led by someone truly skilled in this area while at the same time freeing me up to focus on projects in which I bring maximum value to the Center, its work, and the people we serve.

You may be working in a role that requires strong organizational skills. If you have them already, that’s great. If you don’t, you may need to work on these skills. There are plenty of books out there to help, not to mention digital platforms that make organizing people and projects easier. But as I watch leaders who seek to grow in certain skill areas, I notice that many are helped significantly by having a coach who offers wisdom, support, and accountability.

Organizing people and tasks isn’t especially glorious work. It’s unlikely that you’ll get public accolades for being an effective organizer. In some settings, you may get strong performance reviews and multiple raises, but for the most part, the work you do has more of a “behind the scenes” character. Yet, the example of Nehemiah reminds us that organizational talent is essential for productivity and personal fulfillment. If God’s work is to be done in this world through businesses, schools, churches, non-profits, and governments, people like Nehemiah are essential. So, if you’re good at organization, don’t minimize your contribution to the work of God. And if you’re not so good at organization, perhaps it’s time to improve. Or perhaps you can enthusiastically support the organizational efforts of others and give thanks to God for their distinctive gifts. You might even choose to pray for them regularly, asking the Lord to give them the wisdom and resilience they need to do the crucial work of organizing with excellence.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: New Beginnings: How I Managed My Way Through an Organizational Nightmare.