Is an issue of fairness affecting your team? (119-2)

Proverbs 16:11-12tlb says, “The Lord demands fairness in every business deal. He established the principle. It is a horrible thing for a king to do evil. His right to rule depends on his fairness.” Wise leaders understand the power of fairness when developing team unity. Read Nehemiah 5:1-8.

Nehemiah had faced and handled plenty of external conflict from other nations around Jerusalem in the process of rebuilding the walls but often the most debilitating conflicts to progress come from internal strife.

Internal issues generally only come to light when a leader has proven trustworthy to their team. The people generally won’t disclose internal issues until they are sure the leader will be fair because the fear of reprisal is too great and those already in a tough situation can’t take the risk. Nehemiah’s words and corresponding actions had proven he was trustworthy and fair to his team. Once this happened some of the folks came to him with complaints against their Jewish brothers. Those in positions of authority were taking economic advantage of the general population. The use of usury, the unfair acquisition of another’s land and putting fellow Jewish settlers’ children into slavery to pay debt, was strictly prohibited by laws God had given to Moses as recorded in the book of Leviticus.

Every leader can learn from Nehemiah’s demonstration of discernment and courage in dealing with the situation. According to verse 6, Nehemiah “…heard the outcry and these charges…pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials.” Effective leaders listen to the complaint with an unbiased mind, gather the facts accurately and then go directly to the offending group to confront the accusations directly but in private. Once the issue has been confronted in private, the results need to become public to defuse the misunderstanding of everyone telling their own side of the story to their sphere of influence. Long delays and non-confronting strategies can destroy the trust of vulnerable team members. Wise leaders know that once trust is lost, it could take a long time to rebuild if it can ever be rebuilt.

Do you have internal team issues that have not been dealt with or that have been dealt with in a way that did not bring resolution? Have you accurately assessed the facts and given adequate thought time to the situation? Can you determine which part of your team is being treated unfairly? Have you prayed about the situation and asked for God’s wisdom to discern a plan of action? What is keeping you from action to solve the problem? When will you take the first step to resolution?