I will be sharing Project Management secrets from one of my favourite characters in the Bible – Nehemiah.

There are lots of business lessons encapsulated in this book. As a background, Nehemiah was a cup-bearer to king Artaxerxes I of Persia – an important official position.

SECRET 1: Nehemiah took full responsibility for the sorry state of Jerusalem:

When Nehemiah heard that the walls of Jerusalem had been broken down and the gates burnt by fire, he took up the challenge immediately. He went into fasting and prayers to seek divine intervention.

As a top official to the King of Persia, it would have been easy for him to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the sad report but Nehemiah took 100% responsibility.

Exceptional Business Leaders are those who go head-on against challenges in their organisation or industry. They don’t have a forte in blame trading or in the manufacture of excuses. For them it’s either they win or they win.

Secret 2: Nehemiah got governmental approval and endorsement

Governmental power is so powerful that it can alter the entire course of a people for good or evil. All it takes to bring some enterprises to ruin is one act of legislation.

There are businesses that are enjoying uncontested monopoly today because they are in the good books of the government of the day. Blessed are you if you have access to the corridors of power.

Nehemiah was well acquainted with these truths. That’s why he obtained letters of endorsement and approval from King Artaxerxes I of Persia who also gave him special military protection as he headed out to embark on the monumental project of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

No smart business person should ignore the government. Get all required licenses, accreditation and registrations. Pay your taxes; strive to be in the good books of the government of the land.

Secret 3: Nehemiah gathered strategic intelligence and avoided premature announcement

When Nehemiah got to Jerusalem, he went up by night to survey the land in order to ascertain the level of repairs to be done. He kept his mission private to all.

In Business, intelligence gathering is paramount. Don’t embark on a project you have not thoroughly researched. Know the opportunities and the threats to every venture and whilst you are at it, learn to act of strategic silence.

You can save yourself unnecessary battles by learning to keep quiet. Avoid premature exposure. When the time is ripe, success has a way of announcing itself.

Secret 4: Nehemiah prepared his team for the battles of controversy

This secret is not for everyone but for those who do business in deep waters.

If you want to succeed in the marketplace, prepare for war because business in itself is war. Whilst Nehemiah and his team were working round the clock to meet their deadline of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, two evil men by the name of Sanballat and Tobiah became angry at their progress and began to mock them and conspire on how to stop them.

Tobiah said, “they were wasting their time as a little fox was enough to bring down the walls.” These two men drew the battle line against Nehemiah and his company.

Nehemiah rose to the occasion. He gave half of his team swords and weapons to guard their territory. Infact, every worker was given a weapon. On one hand was a weapon, while the other was used to work.

In business, there are people who will rise up against you not because you offended them but because of your progress. They will instigate men against you; they will curse you out on Social Media. The aim is to get you distracted.

Refuse to be distracted rather arm yourself on all fronts spiritually, intellectually, legally and otherwise. Don’t be naive, arm yourself to the teeth; not everyone is happy about your progress. If you want peace, prepare for war.

Secret 5: The project is not completed until it is completed

When Sanballat, Tobiah and their evil company saw that they couldn’t prevail over Nehemiah, they tried to lure him into pretentious friendship with an ulterior motive of harming him. They asked him to come down from building the wall to meet them at their level.

Nehemiah’s epic reply in Nehemiah 6:3 is the lesson for today: “I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?”

When you are building a monumental dream, you cannot afford to create room for distraction, frivolities and small-minded people. Remember it is one thing to start a project but entirely a different ball game to finish a project.

I hope these secrets make an impression in you. The Bible is indeed a complete book. Feel free to share your thoughts with me in the comments below.

Talk soon!