Step Up

The judge and prophetess named Deborah in the fifth chapter of Judges is one of the most influential people in the Bible. Not only was she the only female judge in the Bible, other than Samuel, she was the only person in the Bible to be declared a prophet and a judge. I think that the greatest attribute of Deborah was that she was a role model of one who was not afraid to step up and take action.

When I think of Deborah’s leadership, I wonder if she ruled from a platform of position or influence. Did Deborah lead from her God-given appointment as a judge or did she inspire and motivate people to follow her.

Some of my friends may not believe that I was rather shy while growing up. Like most kids I had a fear of getting up in front of people. Mrs. Treon Jackson broke me of that fear. She and her husband, J.L., were the leaders of my Training Union class for 10–12-year-olds at my church. She literally made me get up in front of my peers and read a “part” in Training Union one Sunday night. She told me that if I did not do it that she would tell my mama and daddy that I was not listening to her, and she was sure that I would receive a very severe punishment.

I read that part out of fear, but once it was done, I discovered that I liked doing that. From that point on in my life, I have not been afraid to get in front of people and talk. In high school I enjoyed parts in school plays and participated in student government.

We all have regrets from college, but one of mine is not something I did, but rather something that I did not do—major in speech or drama. I changed majors so much in college that when I was a junior, I had to find a major so I could graduate on time and where I could use some of the hodgepodge of courses that I had assembled in my transcript.

The adage that we often hear is that leaders are born leaders. Do you think that is true? I don’t think leadership is a quality that you have to be born with. Leadership is not about being genetically lucky and being born into the “right” family. However, there are some characteristics that a leader must have that are part of their makeup. One of those is the courage to speak out and risk rejection. Mrs. Jackson threatened me to get up and read that “part,” but I had to have the courage to do it without worrying about what my peers would do or say.

Another trait that a leader must have is the ability or the desire to challenge the status quo—to stand up for what you believe or to break new ground. Leaders ask questions like “why?” or “how?” They look for the desired outcome and how it fits with the mission.

Max Dupree wrote a little book years ago that remains my all-time favorite book on leadership. In “The Art of Leadership” Dupree says that leadership is about people awareness and a lot of guts. For me that means that a leader steps up to the plate when there is a defining moment that begs for a leader to emerge. That leader does not wait for that moment to ask what she needed to do to lead. She had been preparing for a long time for the right moment to exhibit her leadership skills.

John Wooden spoke at one of our annual Chick-fil-A gatherings several years ago before he passed away, and I recall him saying something like this: “Once the opportunity to lead arrives it is too late to prepare.”

 ou don’t have to be a leader today to prepare to be a leader someday. Many people miss the opportunity to be a leader because they are waiting on someone to ask them to be a leader. It is like being “on deck” waiting for your turn to bat without ever getting up to the plate and taking a swing.

Go ahead—step up into the batter’s box. Release the desires in your heart to be a leader. Speak out and impact the world.