“Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.’ I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, ‘Let us start rebuilding.’ So they began this good work.” — Nehemiah 2:17-18
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Years ago when I was still coaching, I had a talented group of young ladies who had unbelievable skill sets. There was only one problem: They had no clue what to do with their skills. My point guard was a freak of nature — she could do anything she wanted with a ball in her hand — but she was selfish and uninterested in what anyone else could contribute.
One day I sat her down and explained to her how blessed she was to be such an excellent player, and I asked her if she, as a captain, could help me develop the players around her to play and perform to their potential. After that conversation, she was all in. She recognized that it would take more than just her contribution to win, that it would take everyone stepping into their potential for us to experience victory. Once she received clarity on her objective as a leader, everyone else better understood their roles and followed through with their assignments.
Nehemiah found himself in a similar situation. He realized it would take many people to complete his plan, so he had to explain the vision and their role in it. In Nehemiah 3, we see a fired-up group that accepted the rally cry from Nehemiah in Chapter 2. Nehemiah gave everyone ownership in the task at hand, and as a result they enthusiastically agreed to build and be a part of this good work.
How have you given ownership to those around you? Greater clarity brings greater performance. What type of clarity do you need to function to your potential?
— Fleceia Comeaux, Houston Dash chaplain
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