Get Your Hands Dirty
Nehemiah 3:16
"After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Bethzur, unto the place over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty."
One of the greatest ways to motivate followers to do something is for leaders to jump in and get their hands dirty by working with them. One of the greatest mistakes leaders make is that they forget what it was like to be in the trenches getting their hands dirty with the followers. Many leaders have lost good followers due to the fact that they would never get their hands dirty.
One thing that was pointed out in the Book of Nehemiah was that the leaders would not work. They wanted to stand around commanding the followers to work while they sat in their offices and did nothing. That is not the purpose of leadership. Yet, in the verse above, Nehemiah the son of Azbuk understood the importance of getting his hands dirty. You will notice that he helped in repairing the walls, even though many of the other leaders would not get their hands dirty.
You must always remember that the purpose of leadership is not to get out of work, but its purpose is to serve those whom you lead. Just because you have acquired position does not mean that you will never have to get your hands dirty again. In fact, you would be wise to regularly get among the people and let them see you get your hands dirty. There are several benefits of getting your hands dirty.
First, you show your followers that you are not too good to work. When the followers see the boss getting his hands dirty, they will gain greater respect for him or her. One of the complaints of followers is that leadership will not do what they tell others to do. The greatest way to squelch that is to get out with the followers and work with them. By the way, don't just pick the easier and cleaner jobs, but be willing to work in the dirtiest jobs. This is one of the ways to gain the respect of your followers.
Second, you learn things that need to be corrected. When you sit behind the desk, you lose touch with what is really going on with the workers. When you get your hands dirty, you find out there are some things that might need to be changed. You may find some ways to streamline the work process and save the company money. You may also be able to show the workers a better way to do things. You will never know what needs to be corrected until you get your hands dirty.
Third, you train future leaders the importance of leadership getting their hands dirty. Too many people have a false impression of true leadership. Many think that a leadership position means they will never have to get their hands dirty again. When you work and get your hands dirty, you show future leaders what it takes to boost morale and learn of mistakes that need to be corrected.
Whatever your position of leadership is, be sure that you regularly get your hands dirty. Pastors need to get out of their office's and work with their people. Business leaders need to get among their workers by getting their hands dirty. Parents need to get their hands dirty and work with their children. You will find that getting your hands dirty is of great benefit to both leadership and followship. Don't ever think you are too good to get your hands dirty. Don't be a leader who only barks out orders, but be a leader who gets among the people and gets their hands dirty.