By AWL News
We asked the Adventist Women Leaders (AWL) community what’s one habit, mindset shift, resource or practice that made you a steadier leader? Here’s a collection of your responses.
FIND AWESOME MENTORS
My leadership tip is to be a great follower. Doing this means having awesome “mentor-mentee” experiences. No matter what experience we have gotten climbing the leadership ladder, there are best practices that are innovative and personal. These practices may never be documented and have proven to be successful over the years. Learning from mentors enriches any leader’s worldview and brings more than average value to the community one is leading. I believe we will pass on the torch of leadership better than we received it.
Shared by AWL member Ima-Obong Monday Jonathan
LISTEN & OBSERVE
Be a good listener and observer. Identify the positives and potential in others and encourage them to be active in co-labouring in God’s Kingdom.
Shared by AWL member Kareen Robinson-Simpson
HAVE A PLAN
Be intentional to stay organized. “If I fail to plan, I plan to fail.”
Shared by AWL member Marleena Debrough
RECOGNIZE THE WINS
I take time to publicly recognize the “behind the scenes” wins of our team members. While I appreciate these contributions privately, I believe it is important to share them publicly.
Shared by AWL member Betty Toussaint
CULTIVATE YOUR CURIOSITY
“Curiosity, a desire to know more about what God has for you, is the secret to shifting into a higher purpose. Curiosity is always the catalyst to calling. And it’s the antidote to the spirit of the ordinary. The voice of heaven is leading you off the mundane path of predictability and onto a more anointed, adventurous one.” — 100 Days to Believing Bigger Devotional Journal by Marshawn Evans Daniels
Shared by AWL member Deborah Egger
LISTEN
Listen and then make a tangible solution. Bible scriptures and prayer are fine, they should be done. Sometimes a person just needs soup or a car wash.
Shared by AWL member Bobbe Reynolds
FOLLOW THE SAVIOR
To me, in order to lead, I must follow my savior. Through His example, that is the only thing that can help me lead the way He did.
Shared by AWL member Bobbe Reynolds
TRUST GOD TO LEAD EVERY DAY
It was an especially stressful day in the office. I was the director of Human Resources at a university and the need to terminate an employee due to indiscretions had become necessary.
These conversations are never easy. As the employee sat uncomfortably in the chair in front of my desk with their immediate boss in the next seat. I asked God for words to say that were both accurate and clear and compassionate. And I felt so inadequate.
How did this person feel, knowing they were about to lose their job, their livelihood? This would mean an end to the comfortable life they now lived. There seemed no way to make this easy. Then, I saw the hand stitched plaque on the wall, done by a friend that knew my daily challenges: “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Prov 3:6
“Lord,” I silently prayed, “please help me to have the words to let this person know they are loved by you, even though they can’t continue in their position.”
The conversation began haltingly, and awkwardly. But as we got to the heart of the matter, I could feel a calming in my heart and mind as we also recognized that things couldn’t continue as they had been. God was working in this situation. He was helping this person to see that there might be a better place for them in another work situation.
As the employee and their boss left the office, there was a hug and a tear. They knew we didn’t want to make this decision, it was really their decision made through actions they had taken. “Thank you, God,” I breathed.
Divine guidance and grace in every situation is a prayer we know God will always answer. And He does it graciously, without judging or condemning us. With this understanding of how God is with us and works on our behalf, we can face anything in the future knowing he will guide us through the valleys and rough roads of human interactions.
Shared by AWL member Linda Becker
—Republished with permission from the July 14, 2026, Adventist Women Leaders email newsletter. Photo by Pieter Damsteegt/NAD.
