“…but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” (1 Tim 4:12)

I’ve never considered myself a leader. I believed that because I’m an introvert and quiet, I couldn’t be a leader. Over the last few years, I’ve recognized that for the lie that it is. Introverts may lead differently than extroverts, but that doesn’t mean that we aren’t good leaders. We’re often motivated by productivity, not ambition, and we tend to build meaningful, lasting connections with people.

I first began to recognize myself as a leader when I was in grad school in my mid-30s. Several younger women in my office were debating whether to pursue a master’s degree of their own, and after listening to their concerns, I presented a list of pros and cons based on my own experience and my love of education. Ultimately, all the women ended up pursuing master’s degrees in their chosen fields. I didn’t realize I had played a role until a friend of mine commented on how I had demonstrated leadership skills in this situation.

Still not fully convinced, I nevertheless took on various leadership roles at church and with our state writing organization, the Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. (OWFI), which resulted in my election to president of the board, a role I’m currently filling.

Some days, it still doesn’t seem real. Surely all these people aren’t actually looking to me to make decisions, are they? It seems they are. And I’m determined that their faith in me will not be misplaced.

Recently, I took steps to improve my leadership skills. I listen to leadership podcasts, attended trainings, and took the Clifton StrengthsFinder test to find out what my top five strengths are. I discovered my top five are intellection (meaning I’m introspective), input (meaning I enjoy collecting information), discipline (meaning I like routines and structure), responsibility (meaning I value honesty and loyalty), and learner (meaning I enjoy the process of learning more than the outcome).

I know myself well enough that none of these surprised me. The benefit to knowing these things is that I can play to my strengths as I lead. It’s also helpful when dealing with a variety of personalities such as I see at church or in OWFI. If I know my strengths and am able to recognize yours, we’ll make a great team even if our styles are different.

I strive to be a godly leader: to be constant and consistent, to thoughtfully pray through each situation, to be concerned about others and respond to problems accordingly, to inspire, and to possess courage and authenticity and integrity. I still have a long way to go, but each situation that comes my way presents an opportunity to stretch myself into the leader that God wants me to be.

Dear Jesus, help me to lead with grace. Show me how to be a leader who brings people together and who shows your love to others. Amen.