Who Has Permission to Speak Into Your Leadership?

One of the strange things about owning a business is that the more successful you become, the easier it can be to find yourself surrounded by people who need something from you.

Your clients need answers. Your team needs direction. Your family needs you to be present. People in your community may look to you for leadership. You're making decisions, solving problems, and carrying responsibilities that other people don't always see. Eventually, you can become so accustomed to being the person everyone comes to that you forget you need people to go to, too.

I think that's dangerous for a leader.

Not because we're incapable of making good decisions on our own, but because none of us can see everything. We all have blind spots. We all have moments when emotion clouds our judgment or ambition makes something look like an opportunity that may actually be a distraction. Sometimes we're simply too close to a situation to see it clearly.

That's why I think one of the most important questions a Christian woman in business can ask herself is this: Who has permission to speak into my leadership?

Not who agrees with me. Not who cheers for everything I do. Who has permission to tell me the truth?

Moses Had a Leadership Problem He Couldn't See

I love the story of Moses and Jethro in Exodus 18 because Moses was clearly doing important work. The Israelites were coming to him to settle disputes and seek God's will, and Moses was spending his days helping them. From the outside, it probably looked like incredible leadership. He was needed, he was serving, and people trusted him.

Then his father-in-law showed up.

Jethro watched what Moses was doing and essentially said, This isn't good.

I can only imagine how that conversation might have felt. Moses wasn't being lazy. He wasn't neglecting his responsibility. If anything, his problem was that he was trying to carry too much of it himself.

Jethro could see what Moses couldn't. If he continued leading that way, he was going to wear himself out, and he was going to wear the people out with him.

What I appreciate most about the story is that Moses listened.

He didn't defend his system. He didn't remind Jethro that God had chosen him to lead Israel. He didn't say, "You don't understand everything I'm dealing with." Scripture tells us that Moses listened to his father-in-law and did what he suggested.

That's humility.

And I think that's leadership.

Being the Leader Doesn't Mean Having All the Answers

There's a subtle pressure that comes with leadership to always know what to do. When you're the business owner, people expect you to have answers. After a while, it's easy to start expecting that of yourself too.

But leadership isn't knowing everything. Sometimes leadership is being wise enough to recognize when you need another perspective.

Proverbs 15:22 says, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." I don't read that verse as an instruction to collect opinions from everyone around me. Too many opinions can create just as much confusion as having none. I think the emphasis is on wise counsel.

There are people whose advice I value because I know how they live. I know their character. I know they aren't trying to impress me or get something from me. They know me well enough to understand my strengths, but they also know me well enough to recognize when one of those strengths is becoming a weakness.

Those relationships aren't built overnight, and they aren't interchangeable with having a large network.

You can know hundreds of people and still have no one who truly knows you.

Encouragement and Sharpening Aren't the Same Thing

I love encouragement. We all need people who remind us that we're capable, celebrate what God is doing, and cheer when something we've worked toward finally happens. I don't want everyone around me to only encourage me because sometimes I need to be sharpened.

Proverbs 27:17 tells us, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." There's a reason that verse doesn't say iron comforts iron. Sharpening involves friction. Something has to make contact with the blade for it to become more effective.

The same is true in leadership.

Sometimes sharpening sounds like, "I think you're making this harder than it needs to be."

Sometimes it's, "You've said yes to too many things."

Sometimes it's, "I know that's a great opportunity, but does it actually align with where God is leading you?"

And sometimes it's the question we really don't want someone to ask because we already know the answer. Those conversations can be uncomfortable, but I've learned that comfort and growth rarely occupy the same space for very long.

Be Careful Who Gets a Voice

I do think there's another side to this conversation. Needing wise counsel doesn't mean everyone deserves a vote in your business.

We live in a world with unlimited access to other people's opinions. You can post a question online and have fifty people telling you what you should do before lunch. You can listen to five podcasts and hear five completely different strategies. You can hire coaches, join masterminds, read books, watch videos, and consume so much advice that you eventually can't hear your own thoughts—much less discern what God may be saying.

More advice isn't always better advice.

I've become much more careful about who gets a voice in my decisions. Do I respect the way this person lives, not just the business they've built? Do their values align with mine? Do they understand what I'm trying to build? Are they willing to tell me something I don't want to hear? Most importantly, is their counsel consistent with Scripture?

As Christian women in business, discernment matters. Someone can give excellent business advice that still isn't the right advice for you.

James 1:5 tells us that when we lack wisdom, we should ask God, who gives generously. Wise people are incredibly valuable, but they don't replace the Holy Spirit. The goal isn't to outsource our decisions. It's to surround ourselves with people who help us become wiser as we make them.

Leadership Can Get Lonely If You Let It

I think this is one reason business ownership can become lonely, even for women who are constantly around people. There's a difference between being surrounded by people and being known by people.

You can attend networking events every week, lead a large team, have thousands of followers, and still have no one you can call when you're wrestling with a decision.

That's not the kind of leadership I want.

I want women around me who understand business, but I also want women who understand that my faith isn't something I add to my business when it's convenient. It shapes the way I want to lead it. I want to be able to talk about a revenue goal and God's direction in the same conversation. I want someone who can celebrate an opportunity with me and still ask whether I've prayed about it.

That's a different kind of relationship.

And frankly, I think Christian women in business are hungry for it.

This Is Why the Table Matters to Me

When I created The Leaders' Table, I knew relationships would be important. What I've come to appreciate even more is what happens when women stop simply exchanging information and start speaking into one another's lives.

Someone shares something she's struggling with, and another woman at the Table has walked through it before. A business owner is considering a decision, and someone asks a question that causes her to look at it differently. One woman has a win, and the entire Table celebrates with her. Another is discouraged, and someone reminds her that one difficult season doesn't determine the future of her business.

Those moments are difficult to measure, but they're incredibly valuable.

I don't want The Leaders' Table to simply help women know more people. I want women to leave our Tables stronger than they were when they sat down.

That's what sharpening looks like to me.

Leadership Reflection

Think about the people who currently have a voice in your business and leadership. Who can challenge your thinking without making you defensive? Who knows you well enough to recognize when you're taking on too much? Who shares your values and understands that your definition of success includes far more than revenue? Who will pray with you, tell you the truth, and remind you of what God has already said when your own emotions are making it difficult to remember?

If you have those people, don't take them for granted. Those relationships are worth protecting and investing in. If you don't have anyone who comes to mind, that may be worth paying attention to. You don't need dozens of people speaking into your leadership. You need a few wise ones.

Leading Well

I don't believe strong leadership means becoming so independent that you no longer need anyone. I think strong leaders know where their wisdom ends and are humble enough to invite trusted people into the places they can't see clearly on their own.

Moses was leading an entire nation, and God still used Jethro to show him something he was missing. That's a reminder I need from time to time. Being called to lead doesn't mean we're called to lead alone.

As Christian women, we have the opportunity to become leaders who seek wisdom, remain teachable, and surround ourselves with people who care more about our character than our comfort. We also have the opportunity to become that kind of person for another woman.

That's part of leading well too.

Pull Up a Chair

If you're a Christian woman in business who's looking for more than a room full of contacts, I'd love to invite you to experience The Leaders' Table. We're creating a community where women can build meaningful relationships, talk honestly about business and leadership, encourage one another, and be sharpened by women who understand what it means to lead a business while following Christ.

More Than Networking. A Place to Be Sharpened.

Pull up a chair and come experience a Table as our guest.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Bible say about seeking wise counsel in business?

Scripture repeatedly emphasizes the value of wisdom and trusted counsel. Proverbs 15:22 teaches that plans can fail for lack of counsel, while an abundance of advisers can help them succeed. For Christian business owners, wise counsel should complement prayer, biblical wisdom, and discernment rather than replace them.

Why do Christian business owners need community?

Business ownership can be isolating because leaders are often the people others rely on for answers. Healthy Christian community gives business owners relationships where they can receive encouragement, perspective, prayer, wisdom, and appropriate challenge from people who understand both business and faith.

How do I know whose business advice to trust?

Consider more than someone's accomplishments. Look at their character, values, experience, and whether their advice aligns with biblical principles. Wise counsel should help you think and discern more clearly rather than make decisions for you.

Is seeking advice a sign of weak leadership?

No. Scripture gives numerous examples of leaders receiving counsel from others. Moses' willingness to listen to Jethro in Exodus 18 is a strong example of humility in leadership. Strong leaders don't have to know everything; they need the wisdom to recognize when another perspective can help them lead better.

Related Scripture

Exodus 18:13–24 — Jethro observes Moses' leadership, offers wise counsel, and Moses humbly listens.

Proverbs 15:22 — Plans benefit from wise counsel.

Proverbs 27:17 — "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."

Proverbs 11:14 — The value of an abundance of counselors.

James 1:5 — Asking God for wisdom.

Proverbs 12:15 — A wise person listens to advice.

Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 — Two are better than one, and one can help the other when she falls.