The Challenge of Resistance to Leadership

Scripture — Nehemiah 3:3-5 (NRSV)

The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars. Next to them Meremoth son of Uriah son of Hakkoz made repairs. Next to them Meshullam son of Berechiah son of Meshezabel made repairs. Next to them Zadok son of Baana made repairs. Next to them the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord.

Devotion

In yesterday’s Life for Leaders devotion, we saw that Nehemiah organized the Jewish people in and around Jerusalem for the purpose of rebuilding the city wall. This was a major undertaking and required hard work from all the people. From what we observed in Nehemiah 3, all the people devoted themselves to the task at hand . . . all but a few, that is. According to verse 5, the Tekoites (residents of the Judean town of Tekoa) “made repairs; but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord.”

Nehemiah doesn’t explain why these nobles refused to participate in the work. But the phrasing of verse 5 points to a reasonable possibility. Where the NRSV has “would not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord,” other recent translations prefer “would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors” (also the NIV). This is a valid translation of the plural Hebrew noun which literally means “lords.” But whether we prefer “Lord” or “supervisors,” it is clear that certain folks from Tekoa refused to follow Nehemiah’s direction even when their fellow citizens were pitching in.

Now, those who resisted Nehemiah’s leadership were not just ordinary Tekoites, but “nobles.” They were people of means, status, and privilege. Perhaps they refused to work because they were not accustomed to doing manual labor. Or perhaps they opted out because they were not happy about having “a new sheriff in town,” namely Nehemiah. Even though what he sought to do might have been to their advantage, the nobles from Tekoa would have felt the loss of their power and influence.

In their book Leadership on the Line, Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky suggest that leaders of change should expect resistance. Why? Here’s what they write:

People do not resist change, per se. People resist loss. You appear dangerous to people when you question their values, beliefs, or habits of a lifetime. You place yourself on the line when you tell people what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear. Although you may see with clarity and passion a promising future of progress and gain, people will see with equal passion the losses you are asking them to sustain.

This explains the resistance of the Tekoite nobles to Nehemiah and his wall-building project. If they put their shoulders to this work, they would be acknowledging Nehemiah’s authority and thereby restricting their own.

I’m not surprised that some of the Jewish leaders failed to follow Nehemiah’s leadership. This sort of thing happens all the time in businesses, churches, schools, communities, and other organizations. What I do find surprising is the lack of evidence for Nehemiah’s doing anything to get the Tekoite nobles in line. It appears that he knew of their lack of support but didn’t let it distract or distress him. Moreover, Nehemiah 3 suggests that nobody else joined the nobles in their resistance to Nehemiah.

His example in dealing with the Tekoite resisters suggests that sometimes we who lead should not focus so much on those who resist us that we fail to lead effectively those who are supporting us. There are times when we can be so eager for the approval of everyone that we end up caring more about our being liked than completing the task at hand.

I remember, for example, a time early in my pastoral tenure at Irvine Presbyterian Church. I was leading the charge to build a new sanctuary and youth activity center, facilities we needed to enhance the quality of our ministry to the congregation and community. The vast majority of church members favored this initiative and pledged to support it financially. However, a couple of key elders met with me to let me know they did not think we should build and would not be contributing to it with their giving. Though I was disappointed, my conversation with these leaders was relatively pleasant. Yet, after they left our meeting, I found myself unable to let go of their disapproval. I was taking it personally in a way that could well have hindered my leadership.

What did I do with my feelings? After obsessing about them for a while, I did start praying about them, which is always a good plan. Moreover, I reached out to a couple of wise, trustworthy leaders with whom to share my struggle. They listened sensitively, prayed for me fervently, and encouraged me to focus on the task ahead and the widespread congregational support for the project. They helped me get over my obsession with the resistance of a few. (In case you’re wondering, we did build the sanctuary and activity center. In time, one of the elders who had not been supportive apologized and changed his tune. I’m not sure about the other one, but I do know that my pastoral relationship with him was not damaged by my overreaction to his lack of support. Whew!)

The story of Nehemiah’s wall-building effort reminds us that, at times, we will experience resistance to our leadership. Some of those we are seeking to lead will resist the change we hope to foster because of the loss they anticipate. When this happens, we mustn’t be surprised. Nor should we let it distract us from what we have been called by God to do. We can be encouraged by others who embrace our vision and offer their support, even their “shoulders” to do the work.

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: Everything Feels Like a Failure When You Are in the Middle.