Karol Ladd - Positive Leadership Principles for Women: 8 Secrets to Inspire and Impact Everyone Around You

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Cover by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota

Back-cover author photo by Shooting Starr Photography by Cindi Starr. www.shootingstarrphotos.com

Karol Ladd is published in association with the literary agency of the Steve Laube Agency, LLC, 5025 N. Central Ave. #635, Phoenix, AZ 85012.

POSITIVE LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES FOR WOMEN

Copyright 2014 by Karol Ladd

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-5013-8 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-7369-5014-5 (eBook)

All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of authors and publishers rights is strictly prohibited.

Contents

Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?

E STHER 4:14

If ever there comes a time when the women of the world come together purely and simply for the benefit of mankind, it will be a force such as the world has never known.

M ATTHEW A RNOLD

A recent survey of over 7000 leaders from high-performance companies revealed fascinating results concerning the effectiveness of women in leadership. The survey showed that women outperformed men in 12 out of 16 leadership competencies! Women ranked higher than men in areas such as taking initiative, problem solving, building relationships, driving for results, and practicing self-development, to name a few.

Why do you think women seem to have these innate leadership qualities? What is it that stirs in the heart of a woman, motivating her to reach out to inspire others? I believe God has uniquely equipped us as women to feel things deeply and to care passionately about the world around us.

As women we have the opportunity to make a positive difference in our families, communities, and even our culture. All too often we are tempted to sit back and allow someone else to set the pace for the rest of society, but there has never been a more important time for us to lead with love and integrity. Whether you have the opportunity to be a leader within your neighborhood community, your family, your business, or your church, you have the potential to influence others through your words, ideas, and examples. My hope is that this book will light that fire of influence in your heart and encourage you to stand up and step out as an effective leader. Dont wait for someone else to carry out the job God has equipped you to do.

Perhaps you have never thought of yourself as the leader type. Or maybe you are a reluctant leader who has been pushed into the position because no one else would take on the responsibility. Maybe youre a natural-born leader who seems to gravitate toward the top in every organization you join. In a way, as Christian women we all serve as leaders, because we are set apart, called to stand up for biblical principles and lead our culture by being an example of righteousness, love, and compassion.

Whether you are a reluctant leader, a natural-born one, or somewhere in between, youand every one of uscan grow and develop fresh leadership skills in your life. In this book, I highlight eight principles that can be applied to your personal life as well as your professional one. Each of the principles opens up the door for us to positively influence the people around us. We will explore the lives of eight effective leaders in the Old Testament of the Bible. The time-tested principles we can glean from these powerful leaders have great implications for each of us no matter where we are in our faith journey.

I like to think of this volume as a pocket-sized book with a powerful punch. Each chapter is packed full of insightful stories and powerful principles to help you be an effective leader. At the end of each chapter you will find a recap of the positive principles, as well as several practical action points. You will also find a section with personal application questions to help you take what you have learned in the chapter and implement it in your current situation. You may want to give this book to others on your leadership team so you can study together and build a cohesive bond.

Do you think you could beor do you know someone who might bepart of the next generation of leaders? I want to inspire and impact you to engage with the culture and relate to others in an effective way. Ultimately thats what leadership is all aboutrelationships. Certainly courage, character, vision, and wisdom all play a vital role in the makeup of a great leader, but if a leader does not have the power to relate well to others, their influence is diminished and their effectiveness weakened. The apostle Paul warned that if we set out to do great things without love, we are only resounding gongs or clanging cymbals. Now I dont know about you, but I dont have time to waste. I want my work to count, to be effective, to make a difference. Love is the difference.

My desire is that you will be encouraged to not only rise up and take on the position of service God has given you, but that you will also do it with extraordinary love. Our greatness in leadership comes as a result of our relationship with Godrecognizing His great love for us and pouring that love out to others. We are not the greatest gift to this world, but He is! God did not intend for us to be celebrity leaders; He intends for us to be servant leaders. There is great joy and responsibility in serving as a leader.

The truth is, we dont serve alone. Just as God has called us to leadership, He will also walk with us through it. May you experience His love as you humbly lead others and make a difference in this world.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

P HILIPPIANS 2:3-4

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which

God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

P HILIPPIANS 3:14

I have learned that in every circumstance that comes my way,

I can choose to respond in one of two ways:

I can whine or I can worship!

N ANCY L EIGH D E M OSS

W hen I was in high school, my mother took me to a lecture by Sir Edmund Hillary. I must admit, at the time I was not too excited about hearing some old guy talk about how he had climbed a mountain. It wasnt until he started speaking that I realized this man had accomplished a feat that was considered impossible. He had faced the seemingly insurmountable, pushed past the limitations, and climbed to the top of Mount Everest. Before his successful expedition in 1953, numerous groups had tried and failed to reach the summit. Even within his own expedition group, all but two of the climbershe and Tenzing Norgayturned back because of exhaustion at the high altitude.