A wise leader relates to their team. Read Ezra 1:1-7.

King Cyrus of Persia understood how to relate to those in his kingdom. The Persian forces had conquered the nation of Babylon. Babylon had been a great power and at the height of their power they had captured Jerusalem and exiled most of the Jewish people living there to Babylon. Not only the Jews but many of the people that Cyrus now governed were exiles that the Babylonian army had relocated from their homeland. This potentially made Cyrus’ governance more difficult. As we have seen in modern days with the breakup of the Soviet block of nations, ethnicity and national loyalty are not easily forgotten. Cyrus could have had several exiled national groups resistant to his rule and his army could have been paralyzed battling internal rebellious people groups who were seeking their own identity.

Cyrus chose a non-military leadership strategy; he studied the needs and desires of each people group and related to them through their needs thus becoming a conquering hero rather than an enemy to be contended with. Leaders can learn some practical steps in relating to their team from Cyrus’ leadership: