The Unlikely Leader: How God Turns Setbacks into Comebacks

By Kara Raap

In The Bible, God uses many ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Moses didn’t think he was a leader when God chose him; people laughed at Noah for building that ark for so many years; Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers only to rise to second-in-command of all of Egypt. God makes it a point of taking ordinary people—people who have overcome great adversity and hardship—and using them to lead. ?Instead of viewing your struggles as setbacks, this book will teach you how you can utilize them in your ability to grow and effectively lead others. It is the Unlikely Leader who has the most significant impact!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 9, 2024
• ISBN: 9798385011902

Kara Raap

Kara Raap is a school administrator with over 24 years of experience in the field, whose faith and leadership have converged in a profound way. The Unlikely Leader will empower readers, through faith-based leadership principles, to fulfill their spiritual assignments from God. This is the author’s second book to date. The Adventures of Carly Sage, a coming-of-age tale, was awarded an Indie Excellence award for Juvenile Fiction in 2012. Kara resides in New York with her family.

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Copyright © 2024 Kara Raap.

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ISBN: 979-8-3850-1189-6 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-1191-9 (hc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-1190-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023921402

WestBow Press rev. date: 1/9/2024

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV), International Edition © 2013, 2016 by Bible League International and used by permission.

CONTENTS

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1    What is an Unlikely Leader?

Chapter 2    Embrace Your Trauma

Chapter 3    Know Your Leadership Strengths

Chapter 4    Unlikely Leaders in the Bible

Chapter 5    Untapped Potential

Chapter 6    Truth and Dare

Chapter 7    Know Your Worth

Chapter 8    When You Face Opposition

Chapter 9    I n the Waiting

Chapter 10  The Comeback is Greater than the Setback

Afterword

Acknowledgements

DEDICATION

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

~ Steve Jobs

INTRODUCTION

Were you born to be a leader? John Maxwell would quip, I don’t know any leaders who are unborn. While many people exhibit strong leadership characteristics early on in life, it is important to recognize that leadership skills can be learned and honed, vastly as a result of life experience. What makes a great leader? There are many identifying traits compiled by various experts listing many similarities and overlapping qualities, but which leaders make the greatest impact and why? I believe these are the Unlikely Leaders — the leaders who have faced and overcome adversity, making them empathetic, relatable, and most effective as a result.

If you come from an affluent background, have educational opportunities that others don’t, have not endured significant trauma, and have not been presented with obstacles because of your gender, race, or nationality, then obtaining success is essentially a social inevitability. But what about the people who aren’t afforded these advantages or who have faced unexpected, derailing challenges? Oftentimes, people who come from a background of trauma, setbacks, and disadvantages feel that sought-after leadership roles are out of their grasp due to emotional shrapnel or stigma; however, the opposite couldn’t be more true. The Bible tells us that it is the adversity you have faced and overcome which has developed and strengthened your character. This makes you better able to connect and empathize with others. It is what makes the best leaders: strong conviction and integrity, tethered by compassionate understanding and relatability.

In The Bible, God uses many ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Moses didn’t think he was a leader when God chose him; people laughed at Noah for building that ark for so many years; Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers only to rise to second-in-command of all of Egypt. God makes it a point of taking ordinary people — people who have overcome great adversity and hardship — and using them to lead.

One of my favorite analogies that illustrates this concept is explained in the Joyce Meyer Daily Devotional, The Confident Woman. Meyer asks the reader to imagine a clay