One of my favourite experts on the topic of leadership is John Maxwell
Never heard of him, sis? You can access a lot of his teachings for free on YouTube, by just searching his name, as a starting as point.
Although one of his guiding principles is “leadership begins with self-leadership,” he also makes it clear that “If you think you’re leading, but no one is following…you are only taking a long walk”
#shade
In other words, sis, you need a platform to succeed as a (thought) leader and influencer, which is something that we see very clearly demonstrated through Miriam
For example, Exodus 15:20-21 says:
“Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances [after they saw how God saved them from Pharaoh and therefore slavery]. And Miriam answered them:
‘Sing to the Lord,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!’”
Miriam’s gifts (prophecy, song and dance) allowed her to share her message (thought leadership)
For her, as discussed in another post, it was edification, exhortation and comfort on behalf of God
Sharing her message attracted people to her (influence)
Because they vibed with the core values communicated in her message, like the women who joined her conga line in the passage above
The people vibing with her message and subsequently following her, gave her a platform
In other words, they took her from a person that was just taking a long walk (or dancing solo) to being a leader (of a whole dance troupe)
As a result Miriam shows us, as modern women, that we also need a platform to succeed
For example, Miriam’s song wouldn’t have gained much traction as quickly in a crowd full of thousands if the other women hadn’t joined her. Likewise-
The only way that you will cut through the saturation and noise of your market, so that you can be booked, busy and making bank, is by building your platform or community through:
#1 Using your gifts
Our gifts really do make room for us and bring us before great people; so it’s important to know what they are
#2 Using your gifts to share your message or thought leadership
For example, I’m currently using writing to share my message of female empowerment by:
Highlighting the women of the Bible
Helping women to fulfil their God-given purpose using my expertise as a networking and PR strategist
whereas Lizzo does it through her songs and example of body positivity. This begs the question: how can you use your gifts to help spread your core values?
#3 Utilising other people’s platforms
As previously mentioned, Miriam’s song wouldn’t have gained much traction in a crowd full of thousands if the other women hadn’t joined her. This shows us the importance of collaborating with people (influencers) with complimentary platforms, through networking and PR, to achieve our life and business goals faster.
Need tips on how to do this?
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