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FOUNDER’S LETTER
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or generations women have navigated the nuances of being a woman in leadership without a roadmap, finding their way through trial and error. While there are many books, resources, and leadership networks aimed at strengthening leaders, few address the distinctive role of women in leadership, and fewer still address the calling of women in the marketplace. While our culture is changing, and women hold professional positions of leadership, many women still wrestle with identifying themselves as leaders or feeling empowered to operate within their full leadership potential. Gaps in leadership training have forced women to compartmentalize their lives, separating work, church, home and personal life.
Propel exists to help create an interconnected life in Christ, who affirms and acknowledges every woman’s gifts, passions, and leadership potential for the glory of the Kingdom. “THE LORD ANNOUNCES THE WORD AND THE WOMEN WHO PROCLAIM IT ARE A MIGHTY THRONG.” PSALM 68:11
This “mighty throng” of women is already within the marketplace. Our desire is to empower women to lead more effectively and to see themselves as an intricate part of God’s plan in all spheres of life.
CHRISTINE CAINE
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P 7 PASSION
CAROLYN McCULLEY
“To lead well means you have to equip others well.”
11 PURPOSE
NATALIE LaBORDE
“Discovering our own purpose is an ever-unfolding adventure.”
15 POTENTIAL
ALLI WORTHINGTON
“Three steps to unlocking untapped potential in our lives.”
17 Q&A ON LEADERSHIP
“We’ve ask some of our favorites about their leadership journey.”
23 JUST DO IT
PROMISE TANGEMAN
“Being the unconventional creative leader: simple girl with big dreams.”
28 DOING EVERYTHING
ROXANNE STONE
“I don’t think I’m alone in that struggle.”
31 MAKE IT WORK
BIANCA OLTHOFF
“Quitting is not an option.”
33 WHAT I WOULD TELL MY 20 YEAR-OLD SELF CAROLYN HAGGARD “Reflecting on the journey that has lead me into leadership.”
PASSION
Passion is the active and vibrant expression of individual giftings and talents that empower individuals to fulfill their God-given purpose. 5
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.� Colossians 3:23
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PASSION: LEAD WELL
“To lead well means you have to equip others well.”
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o often our conversations around leadership tend to be focused on the gifting or strategy of the one in the position of leadership, rather than the vision for where the leading is going. I think all Christians are called to be leaders in some capacity, for the simplest definition is that we are called to lead others to Christ. We are to have the vision for what God wants to do in our lives, our world, our time and to envision others with that grand concept. But in a daily reality, leadership in my life is most often expressed in my job. I own a documentary film company with a small staff and a number of freelancers we use on a regular basis. I function as a director/producer/editor,
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so I am literally having to develop vision for a creative project so that clients, crew members, and audiences can clearly grasp the concept for the films we make–both feature documentaries and short films for clients. After articulating that vision, I then need to lead in a way that the structure for our work is clear and provides room for each person to contribute their talents. This is actually not easy if you tend to be a more intuitive person who is inspired on the spot. To lead well means you have to equip others well, so that they get where you are going. And that means a lot of planning and administrative work has to be done in advance for any creative leadership to take place.
There’s a lot more grunt work to leadership than we often assume from the outside. In my personal life, leadership is often expressed in the daily interactions with my church. Jesus has placed me in a body of believers and given me work to do to inspire them about the mission here and the journey home. I need to be proactive about investing in my church, my small group, my friends, my outreach. Like my role at work, this means a lot of planning and administrative details. But most often it means pausing and asking God for ideas and insight about what kind of personal ministry will refresh those around me. Who needs what kind of care and how can I provide it?
It also means stepping in when you see things are on a downhill slide and taking the initiative to intercede when you suspect a friend is hiding or hurting. We are daily in a spiritual battle; leaders see that and go on the offensive to protect their fellow warriors. To that end, my favorite inspiration in the Bible is Abigail in 1 Samuel 25, whose bold initiative spared the lives of her servants and also kept David from bloodshed. She used all of her strength, initiative, and resources to confront a powerful man and call him to a higher and more godly standard. May we all lead like her!
CAROLYN MCCULLEY Carolyn is an author, speaker, and documentary filmmaker. Twitter: @CarolynMcCulley
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PURPOSE
Purpose allows us to respond to the call over our lives and is the driving force behind what we have been prepared in advance to do. 9
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10
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PURPOSE:
PURPOSE IS A PROCESS
“Discovering our own purpose is an ever-unfolding adventure.”
F
or as long as I can remember I have always felt an innate sense of “purpose.” Even at a very young age, no one had to tell me God created me for a purpose and with a purpose; I knew my purpose and had deep conviction that it was somehow related to law and government. Fast forward a few years into my early twenties. Somehow the sense of divine purpose I had as a kid turned into an extremely competitive and self-centered career oriented life plan. I was focused and well-intentioned, but the truth is, I had it completely upside down. Thankfully, right about that same time, a few people came into my life and helped refine and teach me that despite what the world tells us, self-actualization is not the end game. In fact, the end game for a Christian is quite the opposite. It is dying to self and serving others. This was simple–but pivotal–and through it God repositioned my heart. My sense of purpose began to change from being rooted in a nebulous idea of what I wanted to accomplish, into a new approach to life that is fueled by the excitement of being used by God in a very unique way. Discovering our own purpose is an ever-unfolding adventure that becomes more defined with each step of faith and obedience. There are always many natural indicators along the way such as personal interests and abilities, but I have found that true clarity comes when we start by approaching every major life decision with the questions, “My life is not my own, God what would you have me do?” and, “How does this decision serve the Kingdom of God?”
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Our own purpose is part of a much bigger picture. We are all a part of one family, each uniquely stationed at a different post, tasked with carrying out the message of the gospel. When we begin to see life through that lens, everything changes. In fact, it infuses meaning into everything we do from the seemingly mundane to the obviously profound. Today I currently serve as the Policy Director for the governor of Louisiana. As time passes, I know more that my post will most likely continue in the realm of government and public policy making. But I didn’t always know that, it has been a journey, one day at a time. This is my post. Everyone’s post is different. So settle into the unfolding process. Trust, obey, take risks, and ride the current. Choose to see your life through heaven’s eyes–forgiven, chosen, believed in, and born for such a time as this. You will not be disappointed, I promise.
NATALIE LaBORDE Policy Director, Office of Government Bobby Jindal, Louisiana. Twitter: @NatalieLaBorde
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POTENTIAL
Potential is the untapped, God-given power in us to multiply the residing capacity that propels us beyond horizontal boundaries and is released by the limitless nature of God. 13
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.� Ephesians 3:20
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POTENTIAL:
UNLOCKING UNTAPPED POTENTIAL
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have never met a parent who didn’t think their child was extraordinary, filled with untapped potential, waiting for just the right moment, the right set of circumstances, the right coach or teacher to draw it forth from them. We all have it, you know? Untapped potential, that is. We all have the ability to do something that goes far beyond what we believe we have the capacity to accomplish. Our Creator placed it there. Potential is having or showing the capacity to develop into something in the future; latent qualities or abilities that may be developed for future successes or usefulness. What I think is funny is that most of us believe in the concept of potential. We can even recognize it in others. But we have a difficult time seeing or believing in our own potential. And it doesn’t matter how much we love something (our passion) or how much we know what we are called to do with our life (our purpose), we can still convince ourselves we have reached our limit. We’ve run out of potential. Of course, that’s a silly notion. So how do we unlock our own latent qualities or abilities and develop them for future success or usefulness? The ways to identify your potential are unique for everyone. But I do believe there are three steps we can take to unlock untapped potential in our lives.
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I. Recognize Opportunities That Are in Front of You Look around in your life. That friend who offers to teach you something new, the coworker who felt called to mentor you, the opportunities you think you aren’t qualified to accomplish—these are all ways God uses to nudge us to take steps toward our potential.
II. Release False Beliefs How many times have you felt that if you were really meant to do something, it would come easy? I believe this one misunderstanding about our potential is to blame for so many people not achieving what they are meant to do in this world. Releasing that false belief is key to unlocking your potential. Realizing that growth takes work and is not effortless is a life-changing mindset shift for so many of us. Sure you might have tried something and failed. That doesn’t mean you will fail at everything. In fact, I like to say, “Fail faster,” because we learn more about our potential and ourselves when we fail at something. Look for ways to develop your gifts, increase your knowledge, capacity, and abilities. For some, this may look like sharpening a skill set through classes, for others it might look like seeking out a mentor to provide guidance in new ways.
III. Realize Your Future Is in the Hands of God Embrace the fact that your future is in the hands of an enormous God who is able to call forth from you every drop of potential He has placed within you, if you are willing to be used by Him. It is God who planted the gifts inside of you, and it is God who will help them come to life. Only through a relationship with Christ can we fully understand, unlock, and unleash our gifts and talents. Hear me say this to you. You have incredible, God-given potential. It’s there, just waiting to be discovered by you and those around you. Seize the opportunities that come your way; roll up your sleeves and work hard, don’t be afraid to fail, and trust that God has some pretty amazing plans for the potential He placed within you.
ALLI WORTHINGTON COO Propel Women Twitter: @Alli
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Q & A ON LEADERSHIP
WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU ABOUT LEADERSHIP? The biggest surprises in leadership for me have developed from six key concepts:
One: There is a significant difference between managing and leading. Managing is functional, but leading is relational. Two: The higher you go in leadership, the more of a servant you should become. You have to approach your position and people with the perspective that you are there to serve them and your stakeholders. Three: Effective delegation can release you from being involved in every bit of minutia. Four: There are a lot of proverbial “balls” in the air to juggle. Successful leaders can identify and prioritize which ones are crystal and which are rubber, but great leaders catch the crystal and let rubber ones bounce. Five: There is a difference between a reaction and a response to a circumstance or setting. Those around you will always be watching, and as leaders we set the tone for how they will also operate.
Six: A little bit of a toxic environment can be hugely corrosive to any culture. I LoriAnn Lowery-Biggers I WHAT IS ONE CHARACTERISTIC YOU BELIEVE EVERY LEADER SHOULD POSSESS? Trustworthiness. It is foundational to everything about influence, what it causes and what it ultimately achieves. We see evidence of it permeating the life of Christ. It was the basis of His relationship with the Father, what drove Him to complete His mission on this earth and why He was able to empower an unlikely group of followers to activate the rest of God’s plan to redeem the whosoevers of this world. I @TamiHeim I 17
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING FEMALE LEADERS TODAY? We acknowledge there are differences between men and women in leadership and yet we want to be treated the same. Women leaders do not lead exactly like men. Not better. Not worse. But differently. It is because of these differences that we can contribute in meaningful and significant ways as leaders in social organizations. We want to encourage women to lead like women; to bring our distinctive women’s leadership skills to the fore and discourage the notion that women must lead like men to be successful. | @ChristineCaine I
WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU KNEW ABOUT VIEWING YOURSELF AS A LEADER 10 YEARS AGO? If there is time, take 90 days to understand the context of the position you are stepping into. Affirm the culture and the successes of the past by participating in the existing systems and processes. This makes change easier to accept for people who have been there longer than you. It shows that you respect and honor the work of those who have gone before you—work that the people you are leading are probably invested in. The time you put into this up front will save you loads of wasted energy and conflict in the long run. I @KerriWeems I
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Q & A ON LEADERSHIP CONTINUED
HOW DID YOU COME TO THINK OF YOURSELF AS A LEADER? DID YOU REALIZE YOU WERE ALREADY LEADING? The realization that I was leading came to me out of the blue. For years I tried to avoid the judgment and responsibility that I knew would follow a woman in church leadership by minimizing my involvement. I imagined that by avoiding the assignment of an official title such as pastor, elder, or deacon, I could fly under the radar. When I read the following quote I realized there could be no more hiding: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, let more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.� John Quincy Adams My pattern of accidental leadership was haphazard and self-serving at best. From that point forward I decided to lead intentionally. This context of inspiration makes it clear that every season of life comes with the capacity to lead at some level. Whether we own it or not, we each play the role of leader to someone. It may begin with your friends and family, but it rarely stays there. Someone is watching for a leader like you. Believe me, it is better to lead by example than as an object lesson. I have done both! But remember, more often than not, people are watching for you to succeed rather than for you to fail. | @LisaBevere |
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WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING LEADERS TODAY? I think one of our biggest challenges as leaders is the temptation to get ahead of ourselves. Leadership for all of us starts with influence. Oftentimes we aspire for leadership that is beyond our scope of influence. It’s valuable to dream and to aspire to greater opportunities, but it’s dangerous to focus on what’s out ahead of you and miss what is happening where you are right now. This is something I must remind myself of daily. Too often I get ahead of myself, so I need to slow down and consider the people in my immediate spheres of influence: family, friends, co-workers, church. And then consider how God is calling me to have influence in their lives. Is there leadership responsibility I should be assuming that I’ve been ignoring? Is there a way my gifts and strengths can add value and support to the people closest to me? Am I neglecting the use of my gifts in these closest circles while grappling for opportunities with people I don’t yet have influence with? I believe that as we are faithful to where God has placed us, He continues to open doors for more opportunities to lead. Stay faithful! | @JenniCatron | 20
“I am ever mindful of Dr. Tony Wagner’s wise words: ‘The world doesn’t care about what you know, the world cares about what you do with what you know.’ No matter what form your role as a leader takes, whether that be in your job, your family, or as a Christ follower, our actions move our cause foward and provide direction for those around us. A leader is of no value to an organization unless she is willing to take her experiences and apply, not just talk about them in her circle of influence.” |
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Christina Middlebrook |
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JUST DO IT
PROMISE TANGEMAN
“Am I meant to be a leader?”
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tanding on the ocean bank on the last day of our trip I threw a rock into the water symbolizing everything I didn’t want to take home with me: fear, worry, and doubt. I was surprised that these three cliche buzz words were the obstacles that surfaced, considering they had been my trigger points when other women would express what they’re “struggling” with. My inner response in these conversations was often something along the lines of: “OMG! Stop talking in circles and being such a baby about it! JUST DO IT!” But in this season, I felt differently. I guess you can say I briefly understood the paralyzing anxiety caused by fear, worry, and doubt. And for me they’re all stemmed from the mother of all cliche buzz words: L E A D E R S H I P. Okay, I’ll back the train up a bit and explain that within the last year I had to decide where my business was actually going.
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For years, I have been a freelance graphic designer dabbling in different formats of doing business. I’ve built a business on creating custom designed logos, brands, and websites for small creative businesses. To say I’ve been blessed would be an understatement. The idea of “Will this work?” is a captivating concept to me because I love pioneering the spaces and places undiscovered. For years I’ve been able to explore this question in my day-to-day process of creating in an artistic expression. Things like a painting, creating a graphic, or building a website design from the ground up have been my safe go to places to create. Like so many small business owners, I’ve faced the daunting reality that my current infrastructure is challenged to support the possibilities of future growth. Some days it feels like a beautiful disaster. I find myself frequently asking, “WHERE DOES IT GO FROM HERE?”
With a lot of trial and error, failure and success, I have to admit that I have struggled to know if I have what it takes to be a “leader” and grow my business into the company that I imagine. Sure, I’m creative, I have some influence and I can make stuff happen, but, I’m asking the core question: AM I MEANT TO BE A LEADER? [Gulp] Cue fear, worry, and doubt. It’s possible that I’m being completely melodramatic and that God’s vision for this business is to, simply, be a secondary stream of income for me and my family. I could stay lean and mean, giving me the opportunity to work from home when we start a family.
And if that’s what God’s desire is for this–then I trust Him completely in that gift. But I can’t help but think there is more to the story than “coasting.” I have come to the conclusion that I’m not a “leader” in my conventional understanding of the concept. I don’t geek out on HR protocols and strategies or respond within the first 20 seconds of an email hitting my inbox. I rarely wake up at 5:00am to go for a run, do my morning devo, analyze my databases while delegating all my to-dos, and of course, all before breakfast. I definitely haven’t written a lengthy book on “The 5 Best Pathways To A Great Leader.”
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JUST DO IT
PROMISE TANGEMAN CONTINUED THAT’S NOT ME! Cue worry, fear, and doubt again. I have built up this idea in my mind of what a leader is and what a leader isn’t based on things I’ve read, seen, and experienced in others. I’ve easily categorized myself in the genre of what a leader ISN’T and convinced myself of the reasons why I can’t grow my small business into a thriving company. Namely, because I’m an unconventional “leader.” I’m a simple art girl, with a few big dreams, who loves to create stuff that helps other people do what they love to do in their lives/ministry/ work. This season has taught me that I have placed too much emphasis on the idea of the word “leadership” instead of just accepting the position and the opportunity that God has naturally wired me up to do and put right in front of me. Maybe the concept of leadership isn’t something we should get over-fixated on. Rather, as we courageously step into our unique calling, we’ll realize the leadership capacity we need will follow the calling we’ve been given. So, go grab a rock that identifies the places in your life/ business/ministry that are holding you back from really launching into all that God wants to do in and through you. Find some deep water and throw those suckers. Personally, though I don’t have it all figured out, one thing I know is that I don’t want to let fear, worry, and doubt be my anchor anymore. So, stop being a baby about it and JUST DO IT!
PROMISE TANGEMAN 25
Promise Tangeman Wurzell is the founder and Art Director of Go Live HQ, a hub for graphic and web design resources and workshops for creative small businesses. Twitter: @PromiseTangeman
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DOING EVERYTHING ROXANNE STONE
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was a tomboy who loved fashion. A cheerleader who also played on the varsity basketball team. A girl who took pride in fishing and cleaning my own catch, but who also did some modeling once in a while. From long before I can remember, I relished in these juxtapositions: I could do anything the boys could do and look pretty too. I despised the stereotypes and the roles forced on us. Somehow I’d be a boy and a girl. As a kid, I probably just liked being contrarian. But as I grew up, this grew into something much more. I was born a girl into an unprecedented time and place for women. My parents reminded me of it often, “You can be anything you want to be,” they told me. “You can do anything you want to do.” I believed them. And I dreamed big. I enrolled in microbiology as a pre-med student. I insisted on a double minor in philosophy and religious studies. I signed up for a creative writing group. I’d be a well-rounded doctor-missionary who wrote novels on the side. Maybe I’d keep up the modeling on the weekends too. Somewhere along the way, I’d twisted those well-meaning words spoken to me by so many. I no longer believed it was enough to do anything I wanted. I believed I had to do everything.
I believed I had to be smart and sexy. I had to be studious and athletic. I had to be scientific and creative. I’d save the world and look good doing it. And then two things happened: I realized I liked my philosophy classes better than my science classes and I got a B in chemistry. Neither of these sound like a big deal, maybe, but at the heart of these developments were two things I’d yet to wrestle with: agency and limitations. Agency (or, to put it in more spiritual terms, free will): I wanted to write and to study philosophy more than I wanted to be in the microbiology lab. No one was making me become a doctor. My desires mattered and I could let them influence my decisions. Limitations: I may have wanted to be writing more, but my science classes were requiring almost all of my time and most of my energy. Even then, I wasn’t performing as well as I wanted to. Agency and limitations: the choice was up to me but I had to make one. I couldn’t keep doing both. There was freedom in making the choice—in embracing my own desires and gifts, in saying “I want to do this more than I want to do that.” But it was also terrifying. To choose one thing meant to give up another. You won’t find me in a lab today. I chose to pursue a career in publishing: one that’s allowed me to write and to edit and to travel the world. In the providential way of things, I’ve landed in a field that merges my various gifts and interests. As vice president of publishing at Barna Group, I write, conduct research, and study religion. In that research, I see women wrestling with the choices they have to make in defining their lives just like I did—and still do. CONTINUE ON PAGE 29
DOING EVERYTHING ROXANNE STONE CONTINUED
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Sometimes I’ve been able to have more We rightly see ourselves as an than my share. I’ve navigated a precarious amalgamation—a sum of our many parts. agreement between competing priorities. Family, friends, career, personal interests, But I have lost that battle too. faith—they are all central to our identity. I’ve lost a significant relationship. Yet we also struggle to hold them in I’ve burned out. I’ve fallen into serious tension—to be the both/and that we want depression. I am not here to tell women to be. Only one-third of women are very the world isn’t theirs. Or to say we can’t confident in their life choices. Only two have way more than ever. Or to discourage in ten feel a very clear sense of what God dreamers. I’m still dreaming! I chose a wants them to do with their lives. A sizable career in my twenties—but I hope for a majority is stressed out (70%) and even family someday. I’ve been a transient more (88%) want to do better in at least soul, but I dream of a home. Instead I just one area of life. Our opportunities are want to say that it takes more abundant than intention to shape a ever. Our goals are lofty “A SIZEABLE MAJORITY [OF life. You will sometimes (just look at that list of WOMEN] ARE STRESSED OUT have to insist, “ I want things to accomplish in (70%) AND EVEN MORE (88%) this and not that. I want our twenties!). Many WANT TO DO BETTER IN AT my life to look like this of us have embraced LEAST ONE AREA OF LIFE.” but that means it won’t careers and are look like that. I have optimistic about our determined that these goals and these futures. In fact, 55% of women expect to values will drive my decisions.” Women be in their dream job in 5 years. Being a today—some more than others, certainly— woman is not what it used to be. But this have more choices available to us than ever new moment comes with its own risk—this before. Such choices come with risk and risk of needing to do it all; of believing you reward. They are weighty. They matter. have to be all of it. I don’t think I’m alone But they are yours to make. in that struggle. I wish I could say I learned my lesson once and for all in college. That since then I’ve made intentional choices to pursue the areas I’m gifted in and the things God’s called me to. That I’ve learned ROXANNE STONE to acknowledge my limitations and to let Vice President of Publishing at Barna Group and general go. I haven’t. I still feel this drive for the editor of the FRAMES series. She has served as an editor at Christianity Today, Group Publishing, Q Ideas, This is Our City, both/and, for that juxtaposition. I want the and as editorial director for RELEVANT magazine. She has career and the family. The worldliness and authored several articles, including an award-winning story on the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. the rootedness. The success and the service. The professional and the creative. Twitter: @RoxyComposed
The Shape of a Life What makes us who we are? Our jobs? Our families? Our faith or friends or talents or experiences? More than at any other time in history, women get to choose the shape of their life. But such agency comes with weight: what to choose and what to leave behind; where to invest and where to let go. They are worthy and diďŹƒcult questions—and it is the task of the 21st century woman to answer them.
It’s COMPLICATED Women see themselves as far from one-dimensional and describe family, friends, career, personal interests and faith as all central to shaping their identity.
90
%
87%
66% Faith
70%
78%
Family
Personal interests
By the age of 30, IT’S IMPORTANT TO‌ All Women
36%
Become more mature spiritually
ďŹ nancially 69% Become independent
$
Friends
Career
29% Enjoy life out who 48% Find you really are
1/3 of women are very confident they’re currently making the right life choices
66% Finish my education 61%
Start a career
17%
Get married
16%
Travel abroad
13%
Become a parent
ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES
+ + +
Only 2/10 women have a very clear sense of what God wants them to do with their lives
7/10 women say they have too much stress in their lives
88% of women say they want to do better in at least one area of life
55
%
of women say they expect to have attained their dream job in the next 5 years
The research on this page is from a study conducted in 2013 by Barna Group for the book Wonder Women by Kate Harris as part of the Barna FRAMES series. For more information, visit www.barnaframes.com.
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MAKE IT WORK BIANCA JUAREZ OLTHOFF
I
sat on the bathroom floor and cried. Why am I the only woman on earth who can’t get it together, I thought to myself in between frustrated sobs. In between packing lunches for my stepkids, preparing for a work presentation, finishing my morning workout, and trying to live up to my inner conviction of what a pastor’s wife should be, I just stopped. Life was beautiful and I was leading at home, work, and in ministry, but I was fighting against the voices in my head whispering I should be perfect and life should be perfect. On that day, life was anything but perfect.
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Our sisters of the 60s and 70s who burned their bras and let their underarm hair grow free chanted that we are independent and free and can do anything we wanted to. They were inspired by SuperWoman and Rosey the Riveter and Mother Theresa. And somewhere between raising a family, leading at work, and feathering out their hair, women had to find perfect balance in it all. Our sisters of the 80s and 90s shattered glass ceilings and discovered bras were a good thing and underarms were best shaved. They created power lunches, power naps, and PowerPoint presentations. And somewhere between power walks and managing the nuclear family, these women shouted to the next generation that women can have it all. But today I am wondering what all is? My fear is that all is a nebulous idea of liberated perfection. As I step into deeper levels of leadership, I want to let women in my generation and the next know that all is sacrificial. If you want it all, you have to give it your all.
If we make a commitment to take on new tasks, new roles, or new lifestyles, we need to be willing to stay the course. In my moment of pity on my bathroom floor, I had to talk myself off the ledge. Quitting is not an option. Defeat is not my destiny. Losing my mind is not on my to-do list. In the words of Project Runway’s Tim Gunn, “Make it work!” As leaders we have a responsibility to ourselves and those we lead to persevere. Most women today have multiple roles. I work for one of the largest anti-trafficking organizations on the globe, but that’s not all that I do. As a wife, stepmom, ministry leader, writer, and visionary, I’m constantly fighting the tension of balance. But what if balance is a myth? What if balance isn’t as much needed as tenacity? What if we stopped feeling like we have to abdicate one responsibility for the other? Instead, make it work. Whether you are married or single, young or old, entrepreneur or student, there are moments that will overwhelm us and make us question our life choices. Life won’t always be perfect and polished and pretty. But pick your head up, refocus your heart, and remember that you are stronger than you think. Failure is not an option if failure is not a choice. Yes, there must always be times to reevaluate or pause in respite of a decision. But if we reconcile in our hearts that we are stronger than we think and called to the Godpotential in us, we cannot fail. No matter what is thrown at us, don’t give up. Just make it work. And guess what? It always does.
BIANCA JUAREZ OLTHOFF Bianca Olthoff is Chief Storyteller for The A21 Campaign and is passionate about freedom for those inside and outside the Church. Twitter: @BiancaOlthoff
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THREE THINGS I WOULD TELL MY 20 YEAR-OLD SELF CAROLYN HAGGARD
“Leadership is not something that can be easily attained.�
R
eflecting upon the journey that has lead me into leadership, there are three things that I would love to tell my twenty-year-old self.
One: There is a great difference between having a title and having influence. Two: There is a great difference between having a resume and having a reputation. Three: There is grave importance in understanding that a position is more often perceived and responded to than it is verbally communicated.
Within the scope of leadership there is a progression which allows a leader to be a decision-maker and an influencer. Around the age of twenty I was beginning my leadership journey and I wish someone would have told me not to seek titles, but rather lay a foundation that would propel me to have influence. Titles can be generic and empty. If you look for confirmation in your title, you may find yourself empty-handed because a title is merely a word. Instead, I would have told myself to chase a specific skill set. In doing so, I would be able to obtain an area of influence and become indispensable. 33
Secondly, I would emphasize to my younger self the importance of investing in a
reputation, rather than building a resume. I wish I had understood that a resume helps you get your foot in the door, but it is your reputation that will keep you there. A resume is fickle, but a reputation takes time to cultivate. It is formed by showing up early, staying late, and treating your work (as well as those with whom you work) with respect. If it becomes tarnished, you cannot fix it with a mouse-click. Reputation is forged by the way you respond to the challenges you encounter, and I have found it is a truer statement of who you really are than a resume could ever be.
The last thing I would tell myself revolves around gaining confirmation without
needing verbal affirmation. I recall a particular business meeting with potential clients. I was under the impression that this meeting was of the utmost importance; the meeting seemed to go well, but I felt underwhelmed by their response.
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“I’ve learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear. Knowing what must be done does away with fear.”
| ROSA PARKS |
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THREE THINGS I WOULD TELL MY 20 YEAR-OLD SELF CAROLYN HAGGARD CONTINUED
I called my boss to explain this feeling, and he responded by asking if I was meeting with influential people, and if they gave me the time of day? “Yes,� I replied. He explained to me that by their very presence at the meeting, they communicated more than they could have ever said audibly. I learned that day that when people give you their attention, they affirm your place of leadership. A decade ago I wish I had been able to find confidence and assurance in this, rather than seeking verbal confirmation. Above everything else, these truths highlight the primacy of time in being a leader. I would want myself to know that it takes time to gain influence, it takes time to build a reputation, and it takes time to learn the cues that show you have arrived at a place of leadership. Leadership is not something you can quickly obtain; it must be grown organically over time through both success and hardship. So any secret to leadership is realization of this: that to truly be a leader there are no shortcuts.
CAROLYN HAGGARD Director of RainCloud Media
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