From September 2019 to May 2020, I was blessed with the opportunity to take a leadership class at my church, the First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Upper Marlboro, MD called “Women Developing Women Leaders.” Candidly, I heard about the class in 2018 and I tried to get in; unbeknownst to me that at the time the women were already pre-selected for the pilot class. I emailed the Director of Focus Studies Ms. Jackie Parker about the class and was told I would be placed on a list, and I went on with my life. However, I knew I wanted to be in this class because I believed I had leadership potential, but I never had any training. Quite frankly, I was frustrated with seeing people (especially women) in leadership roles who did not possess the skill set and emotional intelligence to lead a team. I would often say, if I was in a leadership role I would handle things differently. I knew that leaders needed to be compassionate, they needed to listen to the concerns of their team, and they needed to simply care. Looking back, I had the basics down, I just needed some development. Welcome to my journey to becoming a Godly Leader!

I will be honest, just like most programs, I thought I would listen to a speaker weekly, take notes, and go home. This is not how this program is designed and that’s great because it’s through application that I grew as a leader. Was I stretched and tested? Absolutely! The biggest test and stretching came when I was obedient and said yes to leading the Orange Team. I was terrified about leading because 1) our previous team lead Tonya is an exceptional leader and I thought to myself, “How could I even begin to fill her shoes (self-doubt)?,” 2) I never led a group and I really did not know what I was doing (at least that’s how I felt), and 3) I was the youngest woman on the team. So of course, I thought to myself, am I really capable of leading women who are 15, 20 plus years older than me (they look good, trust me!)?

Although I was afraid, I led anyway. That’s one thing I learned about being a leader is how to be courageous. One of the books we had to read is called “The Power of Moments” and the authors talked about mentally rehearsing in order to be prepared for the courageous act. They also talked about how managing fear is a critical part of being courageous. I did just that. I observed how Tonya led, asked many questions, and was receptive to feedback along the way. As a leader, you must always be in a posture of humility and open. You also must be teachable because you don’t know everything.

I had a great team of women who were dedicated to get the tasks done. However, it was more than just delegating assignments, it was about relationship. If you don’t genuinely care for people, then leadership is not for you. Your team needs to know that you actually care about them and their interests, struggles, families etc. I’ve learned that when you serve and take care of your team, they will take care of you. As Godly leaders we are to look at Jesus as our standard because He was a servant leader, and He is the King of Kings!

Although I was courageous and served with humility, I learned that when you say YES to God, He will give an overflow of blessing. However, the enemy doesn’t like when we give God our yes so that means get ready for war. I was up against some battles during this class, the biggest one losing my job unexpectedly. I did not see it coming and immediately I went into panic mode and despair wondering how I was going to pay my mortgage, utilities, and other bills. The last thing on my mind at the time was leading. Ms. Jackie and I spoke when I first lost my job. She encouraged me and she said two things 1) I don’t want you to quit 2) Do not stop tithing. She didn’t know (or at least I didn’t tell her) that I wanted to step down from leading the Orange Team because I was overwhelmed with stress. I just didn’t think I could balance it all. I still led and tithed. I pushed through the challenges. The women in my group and from other teams prayed for me, donated money to me, and encouraged me along the way. God showed me that when I am weak, I am strong in Him.

God put in my heart years ago to start a business, write and publish my book. Due to fear, excuses, and lack of resources, I just let my ideas sit in my inbox. I knew that the door closing to my last position was the right time to step out on faith and just do it. I started 7even Media, LLC a multi-media company specializing in brand marketing, communications, and entertainment. And yes, I am releasing my book “Healing from a Heartbreak: A Journey to Focusing on You After a Breakup” in July. “Healing from a Heartbreak: A Journey to Focusing on You After a Breakup” helps Godly women heal from hurt associated with romantic breakups, by providing encouraging words to move forward and live their best lives. God has opened an opportunity for me, a new business owner, to mentor aspiring business owners. I’m excited to see what happens next.

Thank you to the leaders of this class for your guidance. Before this class I would call myself an emerging leader, but now I am leader.