Transcript
If you are satisfied with your present earthly existence, your status quo, and your present accomplishments, this podcast may not be for you. But if you are at a point in your life where you believe you can grow more and do more to make a difference in your life and the lives of others, listen closely.
Hello, ladies. I'm Dr. Yvette Rice, and welcome to "There's More to Your Story", a women's guide to moving beyond roadblocks and obstacles in your life on the way to fulfilling your God -given purpose.
So what did I mean by my introductory comments? Today's episode addresses when your story includes leadership. Not every woman considers herself a leader or desires to become one. But whether we realize it or not, many of us were leaders even on the playground as children when we picked the games we were going to play, how we were going to play them, and included who was going to be on which team.
The late Dr. Myles Munroe says that "Leadership is the capacity to influence others through inspiration, motivated by passion, generated by vision, produced by conviction, and ignited by a purpose." So even when we were playing on that playground as kids, we were motivated.
We were inspired. We had a conviction, and we felt at that time, even as little kids, we had a purpose. That definition that Dr. Myles Monroe shared with us is also evident in a quote taken from our book, "Women in Leadership, Living Beyond Challenges," when we made the following observation regarding women leaders.
Through our scripture, God strategically placed women in specific places and times to bring about remarkable changes for His people and the world. Some were mentioned by name, Rebecca, Rahab, Deborah, Ruth, Esther, and Hannah, while others were unnamed but are forever remembered for their actions, such as the Canaanite woman, the Shunammite woman, or the Samaritan woman at the well, just to mention a few.
Now, I'm going to challenge you after you get off this podcast to go back, get the Bible, and look up these women that are named and read their stories so that you can see how they were strategically placed by God, used by Him as women leaders in the marketplace.
And although God placed the spotlight on the lives of these diverse women, their assignments did not come without challenges. Yet, each one had divine purpose and contributed in the writing of His story of Christ.
Although there have been debates over whether leaders are born or made, the imprint of leadership has always been on my life. Being a woman of faith, I think God's plan for my life pointed me in the direction of using my God -given gifts and abilities to influence and add values to the lives of others.
I believe that even right now, even on this podcast, I am being used by God to add value to the lives of others. As a child into my adulthoods, I did not have to look far to find role models that shaped my vision of great leadership as a woman.
I came from a lineage of strong women, determined women, helped shape me into the woman that I am. I think about my mother's resolve to go back to school after working as a teacher's aide. And she ended up pursuing a Master's Degree ,while she was caring for our family.
To me, this is an example of passion, vision, and purpose. And then there's my grandmother, Eunice. She's my maternal grandmother, or she was my maternal grandmother. She was only allowed to finish the seventh grade because of racial restrictions in the south, during her childhood. Yet, she was one of the organizers of the first Girl Scout's Troop for young African -American girls in Decatur, Alabama. And then there's my paternal grandmother, Mama Cloti as I called her.
In fact, I was named after her. She raised two sons as a single parent when women, during her time, remained in detrimental marriages. She chose to leave and put her sons in a safe and secure place. She had the privilege of seeing all four of her granddaughters from those two sons graduate in the 1980s with engineering degrees from Universities in the state of Alabama.
Now that is unique in itself. Think about it. Four granddaughters, minority females, Go off to college in the 1980s and all four of us got an engineering degree. Proverbs 22:6 in the Amplified translation says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, teaching him to seek God's wisdom and for his abilities and talents. Even when he is old, he will not depart from it. I believe that through God's divine purpose and sovereignty, He births us into specific families or He allows us to be adopted by families that will ensure that we are prepared for our life's purpose ahead of us.
You know, I believe that as I look back over my life with my mother, my grandmothers, I even had strong aunts that made sure they were educated, that pursued their life's purpose. I believe that God allowed those opportunities to strengthen me and help me to see what His purpose could be for my life.
They were all women of faith and I believe that that's a big part of us walking as leaders, which I'll share shortly, that we have to trust God. You have to know in your heart that you've been placed in that position by God to do what you have been assigned to do.
In this very hour right now, I always go back to the scripture because it reminds me of how strategically God has been in our lives. And it's Psalms 139:13-16. I'm reading from the message translation and it says, "Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out. You formed me in my mother's womb. You know me inside and out. You know every bone in my body. and like an open book, you watch me grow from conception to birth. All the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I even live one of them. "
I look back and I read over this scripture over and over again and it really helps me to understand where I am presently. I serve in two leadership positions. I am president and owner of a professional development consulting company for women, and I serve as an associate pastor of a local church congregation.
And even though these two leadership positions are on different spectrums, my duties and skills requirements are similar. As associate pastor, I focus on the growth and the development of the congregation. Biblical perspective, but I also bring in a marketplace view of leadership. And then as the company owner, I use more than 35 years of combined experience as an entrepreneur, engineer, program manager, keynote speaker and facilitator to help women reach their maximum potential in the marketplace and in life.
But as I'm leading, training, preparing, and speaking to these women, I come from not only a marketplace perspective, but I also use Biblical principles to help them grow and mature into the women that they are called to be as leaders.
In fact, I'm doing it right now on this podcast. But something that I've learned over the past 35 years, I noticed that there are Four Pillars that have been relevant for me as a woman leader. They are Foundation, Faith, Fruit, and Focus.
Let's take a break. We will discuss these Four Pillars when we return. Welcome back to "There's More to Your Story." We're discussing when your story includes leadership and we were also about to talk about the Four Pillars of leadership that I have or that I believe grounded me as a leader in the marketplace and in life.
Let's talk about leadership foundation. includes three things for me, purpose, position, and posture. What purpose? I believe that we have all been placed on the earth at this specific time with a specific God -given purpose.
In fact, I want to take the time to share another quote by the late Dr. Myles Munroe that I think is very important in what I'm about to share, he says, "Your existence is evident that this generation needs something that your life contains. "
You see, you have to know as a leader that you have been put purpose by God. And then the next thing you need to know as a leader relative to the foundation pillar is this, you have been positioned by God, where you are placed in the marketplace, it makes a big difference for God's plans.
for not only your purpose, but the purpose of the other people who you will lead as a leader. Many of us have been placed strategically in leadership positions at this time, by God to shine where He has planted us.
So what do I mean by that? Ladies, it's our time to shine! You've been put there by God. But let's read it from Matthew 5: 13 -16. And I'm reading from the message translation. I just love this translation.
It says, "Let me tell you why you are here. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you on a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand, shine. Keep open house. Be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you're prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. "
We're here to shine for God's glory, not ours. Ladies, you've been put in that place. You've been put in that position. God has put you on a hilltop to shine. But remember, it's for His glory. And it's not just for us being leaders to be seen.
There's an important quality that I believe we must exemplify on this hilltop while we're shining. And it's called servant leadership. Servant leadership means empowering and adding value to others while pursuing the goals of the organization.
Let me say that again. Urban leadership means empowering and adding value to others while pursuing the goals of the organization. So while we're leading, while we're trying to make those goals happen or reach those goals, we also have to realize that it is our responsibility to add value to the people that we're leading.
They have personal goals, they have organization goals that should be met or we should encourage them to meet and that's where coaching and mentoring as a leader come into play. I like this word or this statement that Robert Greenleaf made.
He said, servant leadership is not about power, it's about people. What does that mean for us? It's about us loving and caring for and guiding the people we lead as we pursue the goals and the purpose of the organization.
I have an acronym I use, it's called LOVE, but it's L -U -V. You know me in acronyms. The "L" stands for Listen, because we have to learn how to listen to the people that we're leading. The "U" stands for understanding. Understand what their personalities are. Understand the things about them that makes them special. That's a requirement of us as leaders. And then the "V", value the gifts that they bring to the table.
We have an opportunity to help them shine in the marketplace, just like God has put us there to shine. Then there's something that I wanna talk about relative to foundation, and it's posture. And it means the following, or it includes the following ideas relative to how I see posture.
Confidence and boldness. In the marketplace, they call it executive presence. In the Bible, we call it knowing who you are in Christ. So how you see yourself is how others will see you and that is critical for women in the marketplace.
Because sometimes we have a tendency to try to put ourselves in a low place because either we're worried about whether the people think about us or that we're being high -minded, or we are intimidated because of some other's ability in the marketplace.
But you have to understand this, and we're gonna talk about it a little bit more if you keep listening, that your gifts and your abilities that God has given you will put you before great men. So you... been positioned and put there for a purpose and you have to have the right posture, which is to be bold and confident while you're standing or seated in that position. Let's look at a scripture that I always remind myself about when it comes to how I see myself.
In it's Numbers 13: 33 and it says "There we saw the Nephilim, (the sons of Anak are a part of the Nephilim) and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight so we were in theirs. I'm going to read this without the amplified insert just so we can have even more clarity on this specific portion.
It says in verse 33 there we saw the Nephilim and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight. And so we were in theirs. Ladies, you've got to understand this. People see you how you see yourself. If you see yourself as a grasshopper or an ant next to the giant situations or obstacles, that's how other people are going to see you.
And then there's one more thing I want to insert in here relative to posture. You know, I've read Proverbs 31 and it talks about the virtuous woman over and over throughout my life. And for those of you who haven't read it, I'm going to read it in the Amplified.
It says in Proverbs 31:10, it says "An excellent woman, one who is spiritual, capable, intelligent, and virtuous. Who is he who can find her? Her value is more precious than jewels, and her worth is far above rubies and pearls. "
Ladies, we need to know, we need to understand something. We are priceless. And you have to start seeing yourself as priceless. You see that word virtuous, when I looked it up, it stood for this woman is a force.
This woman has strength and this woman has power. So you're not a grasshopper. You're not an ant. You are a strong, powerful woman, put into the marketplace in a position of leadership by God for a specific purpose in this hour and in this season.
Let's take another break. We will discuss pillars, Faith, and Fruit when we return.
Welcome back to "There's More to Your Story." Let's talk about faith and leadership. A woman's ability to lead successfully requires unconditional faith in God.
That's what I believe. I believe that our belief system as women leaders has to be grounded with what God's Word has said about us. His Word has to be the final authority in the way we see ourselves, the way we think.
the way we lead because we face so many obstacles, whether we're in the marketplace or in a church or local congregation, just in life period. So I have lived my life based on faith and trust in God.
And you know, I really had to build myself up in faith, because I was called as a woman in the ministry and I was married to a husband who didn't quite understand at the time how God would use me. You know, how did I do that?
According to Romans 10:17, it says, so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. And so what I started doing was reading the word of God, praying and believing everything the Lord has spoken over my life and what he said to me because I remember clearly God leading me to Ephesians 4: 11 where he specifically talked about the five fold ministry gifts.
And I knew that God was speaking to me and my life and what he was calling me to. And I had to stand on that. Whether other people believed in what God had assigned for me as a minister, I had to stand in faith and trust God that he would work all that situation out and move every obstacle.
And guess what ladies, God showed my husband in the Word he gave him peace of mind and he and I became a force to reckon with in ministry, in teaching. You know, in fact, I picked the woman Priscilla as my focal point when we wrote the book, women leading by faith, making it happen now because she and her husband Aquila were a powerful force of ministry.
in the day of Paul and they used or they worked with him, worked with Paul from a tremendous level of ministry. And so I used her life, even when I was trying to build up my faith, I used her life as a way for me to see that not only was God going to use me, but if I trusted him, I would be walking together with my husband in ministry doing what God had assigned us to do.
So we have to remember this. You know, when it comes to us standing in faith and believing God and focusing on what our assignment is, whether we're in the marketplace or we're leading from a body of Christ or church perspective, we have to remove fear from our lives.
You know fear, F -E -A -R, and here comes another one of Yvette's acronyms. Paul's. evidence appearing real. I must admit that is not an original one from me, but I've heard it over and over. It's from so many different people.
Fear is false evidence appearing real. You know how we do. We get the what ifs, what if this happens or what if that happens, but it's usually from a negative perspective. So let's start thinking, what if this happens and we get a breakthrough in my organization and I lead our team to where we're supposed to go.
That's a good what if that will help erase the fear and the doubt and the unbelief that you may be having. You know, it's all about us exercising the gifts that God has given us and you can go and read in Romans 12:3-8
I know it's talking about gifts that are given to us by God through his spirit, but these gifts are also very relevant in the marketplace and it tells us in the scripture to use these gifts in faith, which means we have to trust God in faith according to his word to step in and operate in the gifts that he's given us.
I'm going to read verse six from Romans 12, just to give you a quick insight. This is 6-8 and it says" having then gives differing according to the grace that is given to us. Let us use them. "
If you prophesy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith or ministry. Let us use it in our ministry. He who teaches in teaching, he who exhorts in exhortation and he who gives with liberally, he who leads with diligence.
He who shows mercy with cheerfulness. Now I know in this text that it used he as in the masculine, but this includes us, women, children, daughters of God. We are to exercise our gifts in the same way.
You know, I love the fact that he says, and he who leads with his diligence. So those are gift things that we need to operate in that God has given us. What he's done is he's taken our natural and he's put the supernatural on top of it.
Remember, I say it all the time. If you go back and listen to some of my other podcasts, I say we have God's D.N.A. as children of the Most high. We have his Divine,, Nature and Authority. And so the Holy Spirit endows or endues. us with power. He just pours on us and adds the supernatural to our natural. So quickly, let's talk about the pillar I call fruit. Now, this is going to actually relate to what we say about faith. The pillar fruit, the fruit of the spirit to me is our Biblical emotional intelligence.
Now, Daniel Goleman defined emotional intelligence "as the ability to read and manage one's own emotions, understand others, and to use that understanding to manage relationships. 'When building teams in the marketplace, whether as a business owner or a corporate leader of an organization, how we manage our emotions is pivotal to our success.
But from a Biblical perspective, E.I. translates into what I, what God calls the fruit of the spirit that are found in Galatians 5:22- 23 verse 22 says, but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.
You know, I know I could hear some of you out there saying, um, well, you know, Dr. Yvette, you don't get it as a woman. If I walk in there and I'm showing love and joy and peace and long suffering and kindness and gentleness and faithfulness and self control, they are going to see me as weak.
That's not true. In fact, Charlina Ortiz from Greet and Virtue shared a thought that really hit home with me. She says, our perspective of emotions being a weakness actually hinder us from embracing the honest and most authentic parts of ourselves.
and impact what it looks like to lead with strength and vulnerability. Man, that's a powerful statement. So that's telling us that our emotions, emotional intelligence, and the fruit of the Spirit that God calls us to operate in as His daughters are necessary and they really show strength when we're leading.
Let's take a break. When we return, we will finish this episode by discussing when your story includes leadership and we're going to talk about that fourth pillar. Welcome back to There's More to Your Story.
We are discussing " When Your Story Includes Leadership". And the final leadership pillar that has grounded me as a leader in the marketplace and in life is focus. So the ability to focus beyond our challenges as women leaders is crucial to achieving our goals as leaders and the goals of the organization.
You know, we must have vision. What I mean by that, what do I mean by that? Being able to see or imagine what we were placed on this earth to successfully accomplish using the goals and the abilities that are on the inside of us.
That's an Yvette quote!There is one thing that I believe that can blur our focus. It's the enemy of comparison. Each of us were fearfully and wonderfully made. You know, I share that over and over again with Psalms 139.
And comparison is a never ending cycle. No matter how accomplished we become in the Lord, you know, you think about it. There will always be someone who seems to be doing better from our perspective.
And so we continue to compare ourselves and we try to be like other people when we just have to learn how to be the person, be that woman that God has called us to be. We had to realize that it's okay to learn from others, but don't try to become them.
You know, Proverbs 14: 30 says this and it's very sound. It says "A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rotness to the bones. You know, you can try to be like somebody so much so that you begin to envy what they're doing and what they're achieving.
out on the opportunity that God has for your life. You know, I've, I've done, um, a sample where I share with women and I think I met done it, I've spoken it in one of the other podcasts. You know, the plans of God for your life may be over here where your right hand is, but you're so busy looking at that woman that's on the side of your left hand, and now you easing over to that side trying to be like her.
Well, guess what? Everything that God has prepared, planned and maneuvered strategically just for you, it's still over here on the right side. So line up with the purpose, the position and the posture of what God has given you so that you can be where you're supposed to be.
Put your focus on who you are in Christ. who God has called you to be and on the plans and purpose He has already written in His book for your life. Now there's one final thing I want to share about focus and that is we must focus on growth and development.
We have to seek Godly counsel, Godly mentoring and coaching. We have to seek Godly instruction, but we also need to seek educational instruction or whatever that growth opportunity is for our industry.
You know there are classes, webinars, other mentorship opportunities and coaching opportunities and books you can read. Growth is critical to you as a leader and something that I'm reminded up of and that I've learned over time is this.
Growth only survives in conducive surroundings. So we must guard our inner circle. You know we are the sum average of the five people we spend the most time with. So if you're surrounding yourself with people that don't want to grow, that don't want to get better, that wouldn't even listen to this podcast, then it's time for you to find some new soil to grow in.
And it's critical for us because according to 1 Corinthians 15: 33 it says this, "Do not be misled, bad company corrupts good character. That comes from the NIV translation or the New International Version.
The soil that we choose to develop in could corrupt the character of the woman that God wants us to become. Think about that. So as I'm ending this podcast, I want to share a quote from Amy Morin and it says this, "Be the woman who fixes another woman's crown without telling the world it was crooked. "
You know that thought includes a whole lot of things. It includes making sure you don't have envy and jealousy. It includes not just trying to make yourself shine, but know that you're in the marketplace for his glory and you're shining him through you.
And then it's also talking about being a leader that pours into another, helps them develop without exposing their weaknesses to the world. Let's say a word of prayer before we end this episode. God, I thank you for this opportunity to pour into the lives of all of the women who have chosen to listen to this podcast.
God, I thank you that you are raising us up as leaders, strategically placed in the marketplace for your glory. God, I give you glory and honor and I rejoice at the fact that we are growing and that we're maturing and that we're stepping into the purpose that you've called us to.
And then Lord, I pray for my sisters who are walking in fear, some are walking in doubt, some in unbelief as to why you put them there or their capabilities, gifts and abilities to lead those who you have assigned under their care.
But I speak peace and encouragement and joy in their lives in Jesus name, amen. I have three challenges for each of you as we close out this podcast episode. Challenge one, apply everything you have learned from this episode regarding leadership.
Challenge two, visit our website, llve -llc .com and there you will find out more about my blog, Five Minutes to Victory, that's on my Facebook page. You'll also find out about opportunities to grow.
You'll find out about books that we have written. So I challenge you to go visit our website. And then number three, I challenge you to join us next time to be encouraged and inspired as you pursue your God -given purpose and dreams that He's placed in your heart.
Until then, I'm Dr. Yvette Rice. Have a victorious day. And remember, there's more to your story. Thanks for watching!