Nehemiah's transformational leadership and nation-building strategies : interpreted in the context of Lesotho

Abstract

Leadership is a phenomenon that permeates people’s lives in different spheres. This phenomenon is critical and needs to be approached with great care. In the book that bears his name, Nehemiah portrays leadership qualities that formed the basis of his accomplishment of rebuilding the Jerusalem walls and the city as well. Nehemiah’s exemplary leadership illustrates transformational leadership. Leadership aspects evident in the character of Nehemiah in the book that bears his name are vital for understanding transformational leadership. It is against this backdrop that models of leadership are provided in this thesis to evaluate what kind of leader Nehemiah was. Lesotho as a country is attributed to King Moshoeshoe I, the founder of the Basotho nation, who displayed outstanding leadership qualities. The expectation is that Basotho leaders in different spheres would emulate this great leader and founder of the Basotho nation. The post-independence Lesotho has been under various leaders, yet its development is fragile. There have been certain recurring factors that led to political instability in Lesotho. As a result, the country's development has been compromised. It has been over fifty years since Lesotho gained independence from colonial rule and became autonomous. Different models of voting systems have been put in place to solve Lesotho's problems. First, Lesotho was governed by one majority party but later resorted to coalition governments in 2012, which still is not an adequate answer to solve Lesotho's challenges. Lesotho has now embarked on the process of national reforms in different sectors. This study argues that Nehemiah, as a transformational leader, employed leadership aspects that assisted him in the mission of rebuilding the Jerusalem walls. Leadership is key in the mammoth task of implementing national reforms, and transformative stakeholders are needed to make the process of national reforms a success. Nehemiah’s transformational leadership and nation-building strategies are examined in this thesis with the intention to interpret them in the context of Lesotho as a tool to assist the country to become a better place for all, hence the ‘Lesotho We Want.’