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5 Tips for Leading With Grace and Integrity in Your Life
Brave Strong Girl Mentor, Marisa Donnelly, shares five steps for leading with grace and integrity!
Guest Blog by Marisa Donnelly.
To find out more about this Brave Strong Girl Mentor, simply visit her mentor profile right here!
What does it really mean to be a leader?
When I think of the word ‘leader,’ it’s often synonymous with strong, bold, or resilient. I picture a person—and often a woman—with her head held high, eyes straight, and a self-assured smile on her face. Leaders are powerful. Leaders are striking. And leaders just have this presence about them that makes you trust the words that leave their lips.
I always saw leadership as strength. But it wasn’t until my twenties that I realized true leaders don’t always have to be bold or the center of attention. There is a power in leading with softness, with gentleness, and with grace.
Here are a few ways you can try this in your own life and business:
1. Recognize your flaws
Here’s the funny thing—being a leader doesn’t mean that you have to get it all right.
Somewhere along the journey we’ve confused authority with perfection and it’s simply not true. Even the best leaders made mistakes, fell down, and said the wrong things. Even the best Christ-followers hurt people or do things they regret.
Being a leader isn’t about knowing everything, having all the answers, or walking around with this air of blamelessness. In fact, some of the best leaders are the ones who recognize their flaws and actively (and often openly) work on them.
If you find that you’re struggling in this area, find a trusted person and ask them to help you. Speak with them about what you’re having trouble with, have them be critical of your performance, choices, or perspectives, and find small ways to see who you really are—behind the mask.
2. Lean on your support systems
One of the marks of a true leader is leaning on others around you. And this is true, isn’t it? Think of every movie or book—the real hero isn’t the lone wolf. It’s the lone wolf who ends up leading the pack. It’s the lone wolf who falls in love. It’s the lone wolf who brings people together.
And that’s what it’s all about—recognizing that we all need people—and to be the best leader you can be, you must lean on others as equally as you support them.
3. Acknowledge and embrace imperfection
There’s a difference between recognizing your flaws and working on them, and acknowledging and embracing imperfection. Hear me out: It’s easy to recognize things within ourselves sometimes (in fact, we’re often our own worst critics!) but when we acknowledge and embrace imperfection that means we are seeing ourselves and others for who we are—sinners, loved by God—and we are choosing to move forward in love anyways.
Acknowledging and embracing imperfection means saying, “I see you. I understand you. And I see and understand myself, too. I know we won’t ever be perfect, but we will try our hardest.”
And there is power in bringing those words to the light. It frees you, empowers your team, and reminds everyone that in the mess of life, you can still move forward.
4. Defer to others for their expertise
Or, in other words: ask for help.
This is probably one of the hardest things in the world, but it is necessary in order to be a good leader. Learn when you’re in over your head. Learn when it’s okay to reach out to others. Learn how to take as much as you give.
In business, it’s also valuable to have an arsenal of people you can defer and refer to. You can’t always do and be everything, so having people you can rely on will lift your burdens while encouraging them, too.
5. Slow down
I write this point for you—but I also write it for myself. Slowing down is one of the most challenging parts of being someone who is driven to lead. You want to go, go, go and do, do, do. And shutting off that faucet of passion can feel debilitating at times.
But you have to remember that the best leaders need rest.
The best leaders can lead when their cups are full.
Meet Tracey Mitchell
I am so excited to introduce you to another Brave Strong Girl Mentor, Tracey Mitchell
Entrepreneur | Author | Traveler
I heard about Tracey Mitchell long before I met her. I knew we attended the same church - even the same campus. Women kept mentioning her name to me and pointing out her resources and I kept wondering why we never met.
Now I know.
As a leading Bible teacher and conference speaker,
Tracey and her husband, Robby, travel about 40 weeks a year, ministering to people all over the world. They live a life on the road, coming in out of Dallas almost on a weekly basis.
When I finally met Tracey it was because of her generosity. She invited me to be a part of her vendor fair at her bi-annual women's conference called Thrive. I had just written Women at War and I appreciated the opportunity to reach a new audience.
I would soon discover that Tracey was blessing me with one of her strongest gifts.
Tracey is a developer, promoter and friend to women.
She's not afraid to share her influence or her platform with others. As I participated in the conference and heard Tracey preach for the first time, I knew she was an anointed minister. But it was what I found in the vendor hall and during the breaks that really blessed me.
Every woman was there because Tracey had personally invited and invested in them.
Countless women have become brave enough to share their story because of her encouragement. They have developed a ministry or dared to write a book. So many more were sharing and encouraging one another.
Tracey Mitchell
This is why I'm so excited to introduce you to Tracey as one of our featured Brave Strong Girl mentors. She is one of the strongest developers of women I know. She's also a prolific entrepreneur, always having her hand in multiple businesses, ministries and service organizations at the same time.
For example:
Tracey is a serial author having written or contributed to many books and resources. Her latest books are Downside Up, Becoming Brave and The Invitation - to mention a few.
She is also the Founder & CEO of the Thrive Conference. This bi-annual gathering trains and equips leaders and entrepreneurs and is held in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In addition, she is Vice President of Christian Women in Media and CEO of The Winning Woman, a ministry-based consulting firm.
Tracey has compiled over 20+ years of on-air experience having been both a programmer and guest on many Christian media outlets. In addition, she and Robby are currently the Executive Producers of a television program called Life From DFW. They reach millions via satellite, cable television and internet.
In 2016, Tracey was nominated for Texas Women in Excellence and in 2015 was awarded by the GSWB Chamber of Commerce with the "Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur Award." She also was awarded "The Excellence in Communications Award", given by Women in Media and in 2006 she received an Honorary Doctorate in Divinity degree.
Tracey really enjoys mentoring in the areas of:
Public Speaking
Personal Development
Publishing
I'm excited to introduce you to Tracey's latest book from Thomas Nelson called Becoming Brave.
Becoming Brave: How to Think Big, Dream Wildly and Live Fear Free
Meet Kristen Lemus
A Prolific "Jump Starter"
If you've ever had Kristin Lemus put her eyes upon you or your work, you have been seen - really seen. She is one of the most encouraging and prolific "jump starters" I've ever known.
She helped me "jump start" my launch of Women at War in 2013.
Not only did she build a digital launch team for me, but she became a precious friend. In the process, she introduced me to an amazing community of women who have been a huge part of my own journey.
I'm not the only one.
There are countless women who have been blessed by the mentoring touch she carries. She's tender, compassionate, quiet and powerful. She's a cheerleader for so many.
Empty Arms Hope-Filled Heart
Family life is so important to Kristin. Not only is she married to her best friend, but she is also "momma" to seven kids. (Yes - 7!) She has five girls and two boys (one in heaven.) If you have children in heaven, be sure to check her book Empty Arms Hope-Filled Hearts. She recently launched her twins daughters into their college season.
Kristin is passionate about helping women find freedom and pursue their dreams. She's been sharing her heart for years at her blog, The Beautiful Deep.
Brave Moms
She has a huge passion to equip and encourage moms who grow weary in the journey of parenting. That's why I am so excited about a new wing of her ministry called Brave Moms which will include digital resources, mentoring content and even a magazine. (Yes - a real one - a paper one - one you can hold and earmark and return to as often as you like.) Be sure you subscribe so that you can get connected.
She's skilled at digital communications and often invest in other Christian communicators. Much of that work has been done as a part of The Declare Conference, where she is a member of a lead team of women who are changing the landscape of the Christian community on the internet through influencing writers, speakers and podcasters.
Special Offer
Kristin loves to speak, write and mentor on the following topics:
Motherhood
Digital Evangelism
Personal Development
Kristin Lemus
Meet Kerrie Oles
I am so excited to introduce you to another friend, and Brave Strong Girl Mentor, Kerrie Oles.
Freedom Fighter
“When I think of Kerrie Oles I am always taken back to the moment she made her first permanent imprint on my heart.”
We were on a mission trip riding in the backseat of a twelve passenger van and driving through the mountains of Ukraine - in the middle of the night! While others slept, I remember being fascinated by her strong southern accent. I also remember laughing - a lot. Kerrie is funny. I remember being surprised by the depth her testimony and excited about the fact that she had a book on her heart.
“Since then Kerrie has written four books, founded two ministries, hosted multiple Revived Conferences and traveled everywhere to speak, teach and share about the power of being set free from our past and our pain by Jesus Christ. ”
It’s a Family Affair
She didn’t do all of this alone. Kerrie’s life is a real family affair. She and her husband, Phil, work side by side to support the work of the ministry. Her two sons have also been critical contributors. They’ve made this passion to see others healed and set free a family endeavor.
In short, Kerrie has pressed through and done the hard work required to be healed and to help heal others. I’m proud of her! More than that, I believe in her. She has a unique ability to touch a persons most private pain, take their hand and walk them to a place of healing.
Connect with Kerrie
Kerrie was recently featured in Voyage Dallas Magazine as an inspiring influencer in our community. Check out the article to hear more from Kerrie about her passion for people.
And be sure to like, follow of subscribe to keep updated on the latest news and resources.
Kerrie loves to speak, write and mentor on the following topics:
Freedom | Healing | Restoration
Kerrie Oles
For More about Kerrie
Brave Strong Girl Mentor Profile