The Two Questions That Transformed My Leadership

from Leadership lifter Talk with Terri Savelle Foy

Leadership isn’t about position. It’s about growth. Your growth and the growth of those around you.

In a recent Leadership Lifter Talk, I had the joy of sitting down with someone I’ve respected for years, Terri Savelle Foy. She’s a dynamic leader, speaker, author, and coach who has built a global ministry based on personal development and faith-driven leadership.

Our conversation centered around two foundational questions that every great leader must ask:

1. What Are You Doing to Grow Yourself?

This question changed my life. I remember years ago sitting across from John Maxwell at a Subway restaurant. Yes, just the two of us and the conference host eating sandwiches. The first thing John asked me wasn’t about the size of my church or how long I’d been in ministry. He said, “David, show me your personal growth plan.”

That moment challenged me. If I didn’t have a plan to grow, I couldn’t expect to lead others to grow. Terri echoed the same truth during our talk. When she was appointed CEO of her father’s ministry, she felt overwhelmed and unprepared. But she made two commitments: to seek God and to grow herself. Intentionally and consistently.

She didn’t rely on just prayer (though that’s foundational); she committed to reading, learning, and stretching. Leadership requires more than inspiration. It demands preparation. And preparation requires a plan.

2. What Are You Doing to Grow Your Team?

It’s one thing to grow yourself. It’s another to bring your team with you.

Terri shared how she began developing herself as a leader but realized her team wasn’t growing at the same pace. That’s when God spoke something to her heart: “Accelerated growth is a must among your leaders.” She got intentional. She bought books, journals, and pens, one for each team member, and challenged them to read, reflect, and share what they were learning every week.

The result? A shift in culture. A hunger to grow. And the ministry grew with it.

You can’t lead people where you haven’t gone. And you can’t expect your team to grow if you’re not sowing into their growth.

Leaders Are Lifelong Learners

Whether it’s building your personal library, setting growth goals, or simply reading 20 minutes a day. Growth doesn’t happen by accident. Terri reminded us that “vague goals produce vague results.” If you want to become the leader God’s called you to be, you must be specific, intentional, and consistent.

That’s why I’m so passionate about these Leadership Lifter Talks; to pour into you the way others have poured into me.

So I leave you with this:
What’s your growth plan?
What’s your team’s growth plan?
And are you willing to do what it takes today so you can lead with clarity and purpose tomorrow?

Keep growing,
Pastor David Blunt

Listen to the full conversation with Terri Sevelle Foy on the Leadership Lifter Podcast on YouTube or on davidblunt.org