PERSONAL GROWTH & LEADERSHIP IDENTITY

The Internal Work Behind the Public Voice

 

Before teaching leadership, I had to be taught leadership.

My journey has never been about positions, accomplishments, or public recognition. It has been about becoming. The leader people see today was shaped through seasons of growth, discipline, faith, and intentional self‑development.

True leadership begins long before anyone notices it. It is developed in private moments of reflection, perseverance, and commitment. It is built through daily choices that align actions with purpose and values.

 

My Personal Growth Journey

A Lesson God Taught Me About Leadership

One of the most valuable leadership lessons I ever learned did not come from a conference, certification program, or leadership course. It came directly from God through His Word.

As director of the Open-Door Rescue Mission and pastor of the Open-Door Gospel Tabernacle, I carried significant responsibility. I believed that being a good leader meant personally handling every challenge, solving every problem, and carrying every burden myself. I felt responsible for ensuring that everything succeeded — and as a result, I often took on more than I was ever intended to carry alone.

Through Scripture, God revealed a different approach.

While studying Moses and his father‑in‑law Jethro, I saw my own leadership reflected in Moses’ struggle. Moses attempted to lead, judge, and manage every matter among the people by himself. Jethro wisely advised him that such an approach was neither sustainable nor effective. He encouraged Moses to identify capable leaders, entrust them with responsibilities, and focus his energy where it was needed most.

That lesson transformed my understanding of leadership.

I realized that effective leadership is not about doing everything yourself. It is about developing people, empowering others, and trusting capable individuals with meaningful responsibility.

Delegation is not a sign of weakness — it is a sign of wisdom. It creates opportunities for others to grow while allowing the leader to remain focused on vision, direction, and purpose.

This biblical principle changed the way I lead. When leaders trust others, teams become stronger, organizations become healthier, and people discover abilities they never realized they possessed.

Today, I view delegation as an act of stewardship — investing confidence in people, creating space for growth, and building future leaders who can carry the mission forward.

Leadership is not about being the only one who can do the work. It is about developing others so the work can continue and multiply through them.

This lesson became one of the foundational principles behind my leadership philosophy and continues to influence how I serve through Greater Works 2.0.

 

Raising My Leadership Lid

One of the most important realities I discovered was that if I did not continue to grow as a leader, those I served would eventually be limited by my capacity. My growth was no longer just about me — it was about the people God entrusted to my care.

I came to understand a powerful leadership principle: My ceiling would become someone else’s floor.

If my leadership remained stagnant, the growth of those I led would be constrained by the limits of my own knowledge, skills, and vision. To help others rise higher, I first had to elevate my own leadership capacity.

This realization changed my perspective. Personal growth was no longer optional; it became a responsibility.

In 2017, I enrolled in the John Maxwell Leadership Training program. The experience awakened a deeper understanding of leadership principles and challenged me to intentionally develop my influence, effectiveness, and ability to serve others.

Through Maxwell’s teaching and others, I learned the Law of the Lid — the truth that an organization’s effectiveness rarely rises above the leadership capacity of its leader.

The training equipped me with practical tools and timeless principles that helped me raise my own lid. As I grew, I became better equipped to develop leaders around me, delegate responsibility, build stronger teams, and create environments where others could thrive.

Most importantly, I learned that leadership development is not a one‑time event. It is a lifelong commitment to continual growth.

Today, I remain committed to learning, growing, and expanding my capacity because every increase in my leadership creates greater opportunities for others to discover and reach their potential.

When a leader stops growing, the people they lead eventually stop growing as well. But when leaders raise their lid, they create space for others to rise beyond it.

The lessons from Scripture, the wisdom of mentors, and the principles gained through leadership development have all reinforced one truth:

The growth of the leader directly impacts the growth of the mission.

By investing in myself, I was ultimately investing in the future of every person I was called to serve. This commitment to growth became a cornerstone of my leadership journey and helped prepare me for the vision and impact of Greater Works 2.0.