Following and Trusting : Encountering God Out of the Box

Exceptional Leadership: Where True Growth Begins

Leadership (in your family, business or faith community) often starts with doing—managing tasks, guiding teams, and making decisions.

But wise leaders know the secret: true leadership doesn’t begin with doing. It begins with becoming.

Most leaders focus on working in their circle of influence.

Smart leaders step back to work on their strategies.

But the truly exceptional?
They work on themselves.

If the greatest journeys begin with a single step, then the greatest leadership begins with a single heart: yours. For what flows from a leader’s heart shapes everything else.

Proverbs 4:23 reminds us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

So, dear woman of faith, lean in. Exceptional leadership (in your family, business or faith community) isn’t about perfecting the outer world—it’s about aligning your inner one with God’s perfect plan.

The Heart of Leadership

The strongest leaders are not those who charge ahead without pause but those who step aside to reflect and renew. Jesus Himself modeled this, retreating to quiet places to seek the Father (Luke 5:16). He knew what many forget: what’s inside the heart shapes what’s outside.

Great leadership flows from transformation:

• Wisdom blooms where God’s Word is planted.
• Vision grows when guided by the Spirit’s leading.
• Grace pours out when the soul is healed and whole.

A tree cannot bear good fruit without healthy roots (Matthew 7:17-18). Your leadership—your fruit—depends on how you cultivate the soil of your heart and mind.

Three Gold Nuggets to Lead Exceptionally

Tend Your Spiritual Garden

• Do life with God, abiding in Him. Anything fruitful comes from this (John 15). Spend time with the living Word (Jesus) and enjoy together reading in the written Word, letting His words and Scripture renew your perspective. The truly wise leader meditates on God’s truth day and night, standing strong like a tree by streams of water (Psalm 1:2-3).
  
• Invite the Holy Spirit to uncover areas in need of surrender. Is it fear? Control? Pride? Let Him prune so you can flourish.
  
• Pray often and listen well. Leadership led by God is never off-course.

Renew Your Mind, Heal Your Heart

• Ask God to heal past wounds that hinder your ability to lead with clarity and compassion. A broken heart leads to broken leadership, but a healed heart transforms others (3 John 1:2).
  
• Identify lies you’ve believed—about yourself, your calling, or your capacity. Replace them with God’s truth: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
  
• Seek out learning opportunities: books, mentors, courses. A leader who stops growing starts fading. (This is why our community is growing together.)
  

Lead from Overflow, Not Emptiness

• Rest isn’t a luxury; it’s leadership fuel. Even Jesus said, “Come to me, all who are weary, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
  
• Serve others not from exhaustion but from an overflow of grace, love, and strength that only God provides. This is leadership that inspires.
  
• Be a reflection of the Good Shepherd, who leads with tenderness and authority (John 10:11).
  

Pause and Reflect

As you consider your leadership and heart posture today, ask:

• Am I growing spiritually, emotionally, and mentally?
• Are there wounds in my heart needing healing?
• Is my leadership reflecting God’s heart for those I serve?

The Becoming Leader

Exceptional leaders don’t just work hard; they work on becoming. They don’t just grow their strategies; they grow their souls. And as their hearts are transformed, so are the lives of those they lead.

So, take a deep breath, pause, and step back. Let God shape you. Let Him refine your vision and renew your strength. The best kind of leader isn’t the one with all the answers—they’re the one rooted in grace, humility, and divine purpose.

Dear leader, remember: the world needs you to lead. But more importantly, it needs you to lead well.

What step will you take today to grow into the leader God has called you to become?

Enjoy any of the following…

Dig Deeper:

God, Show Me More of You: Encountering God Out of the Box
(What happened after my own leadership burnout.)

Freedom Coaching Circle – movement of women who are iron sharpening iron…

Coaching in Freedom – Private Sessions for your own heart and journey!