Another key quality of effective ethical strategic leaders is their embrace and appreciation of teamwork. Strategic leaders are aware that to create and realize a viable and sustainable future for organizations, they need to partner with others. Their individual capacities, talents, and traits are not sufficient on their own. As such, strategic leaders appreciate and employ teamwork where they delegate and authorize tasks to others. When a leader delegates, they reduce the chances of overloading themselves and consequently experiencing burnout. Ethical strategic leaders call on others, especially their followers, to participate in decision-making. A leader’s followers are a rich source of valuable ideas and information (Dubrin, 2012; Elkhouly et al., 2015). When employees are included in making pertinent decisions or are encouraged to forward their opinions regarding a viable opportunity, they feel appreciated and are likely to give their best in their work. When a leader demonstrates readiness to work with others, followers share in the leader’s vision and together, they work towards a successful end.
The Bible demonstrates the importance and value of teamwork. Nehemiah’s experiences and decisions when rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem demonstrate that ethical leaders share their visions with their followers and all work towards the accomplishment of a mutual goal. Nehemiah knew that he could not do it alone. He explained his desire to build the wall with the Jews and they came up with a plan where each family build the wall section closest to them. This approach made the wall construction seem less overwhelming and achievable. When the city’s enemy tried to descend on Jerusalem, Nehemiah engaged his followers where they not only prayed but also divided the responsibilities. While one team prepared for war, the other team built the wall. It is, therefore, clear that while Nehemiah had a strategy of building the wall in his mind, the project was only actualized based on the teamwork as well as his readiness to delegate and authorize. This shows that ethical strategic leaders embrace teamwork as they are cognizant of the importance of involving different views, talents, and skills for fruitful realization of a shared vision.