Wola Joseph-Condotti 
There are moments in leadership and in life when everything crumbles. The business you built suffers a blow. The team you trusted unravels. The deal you were certain of falls through. A personal crisis collides with professional responsibility. The ground beneath you shifts. The silence is deafening. And for a brief, gut-wrenching moment, you wonder:
“Can I recover from this?”
This is not the leadership of podiums and press releases. This is the leadership forged in ashes and anguish. And it is here, in these broken places, that some of the most powerful leaders are born.
When the Wall is in Ruins
The story of Nehemiah is one of the most profound blueprints for recovery in Scripture. He was not a prophet or a warrior, he was a cupbearer, an executive assistant to a king who heard that the walls of Jerusalem were in ruins. But rather than shrug it off, he wept, fasted, prayed, and then acted. He asked for permission. He rallied the people. He faced opposition. And with burnt stones, trembling hands, and divine help, he rebuilt the wall. What makes Nehemiah remarkable is not that he built something. It is that he built again after it had been broken.
The Truth About Breaking
Many leadership journeys do not just involve building, they involve breaking. You lose people you thought were permanent. You make decisions that do not work out. You are betrayed, or burnt out, or blindsided. And suddenly, the life you curated no longer looks like the one you are living. This does not make you a bad leader. It makes you a human one. Sometimes, God allows what we built to break so He can refine who we are becoming. Because brokenness, when yielded, births a deeper authourity. One that is not just strategic but spiritual. One that knows what it is to weep over ruins and still rise to build again.
Job’s Restoration
Consider Job, a man described as “blameless and upright.” He lost it all: wealth, health, family, reputation. Everything. Not because he failed, but because he was being tested. Yet, even in loss, Job refused to curse God. He wrestled, he questioned, but he never let go of faith. And the Bible says: “The Lord restored Job’s fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.” (Job 42:10). This is the kind of restoration only God can author. But it comes to those who stay in position, in the place of prayer. Even in pain.
Leadership in the Rubble
If you are in a season where something has collapsed, personally, professionally, spiritually, let me say this:
You are not disqualified. You are not too broken to lead. You are not too weary to rebuild. You are not too far gone for God to restore.
Nehemiah did not rebuild alone. Job did not heal alone. And neither will you.
But you must start. With one brick. One step. One prayer. Even if your hands are trembling and your heart is sore.
Rebuilding With Wisdom
Here are a few lessons I have learnt from my own seasons of rebuilding:
Do not ignore what is broken. Name it. Mourn it. Let God meet you in it.
Ask for help. Even strong leaders need reinforcements.
Keep building. Even when mocked. Opposition is often confirmation.
Anchor your hope in God, not outcomes. Restoration looks different for everyone.
Your scars are not shameful. They are evidence of survival and a source of strength.
Final Thoughts
Leadership is not just about building empires. It is about rebuilding lives, starting with your own.
So if your wall is in ruins, take heart. God specializes in restoration. The stones may be burnt, but they are still usable. Your story may be bruised, but it is not over.
You will rise. You will rebuild. And the ruins will not define you. The restoration will.
Wola Joseph-Condotti is the Group Managing Director/CEO of West Power & Gas Limited. A Harvard-trained lawyer and passionate advocate for faith-driven leadership, gender equity, and energy transition in Africa, she writes from the intersection of power, purpose, and personal growth.