From Warrior to Architect – Leading Like Deborah in a Time of Transition

By David Bolt, Founder of TenXed

Presence Over Performance – The Deborah Shift in Leadership

By David Bolt, Founder of TenXed

True Story: Deborah — The Leader Who Made Space for Miracles

She wasn’t trying to be everything.

She just knew exactly who she was.

Deborah didn’t rise in a time of order — she rose in a time of chaos. Israel had no king. The people were spiritually lost. For twenty years, they were violently oppressed under the rule of Jabin, king of Canaan, and his fearsome commander, Sisera.

And in the middle of it all — a woman sits under a tree.

“She held court under the Palm of Deborah, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided.” (Judges 4:5)

She didn’t force authority. It came to her.

Why? Because she was aligned with heaven.

She didn’t grab for attention. She carried weight.

But what’s extraordinary is this:

When the moment came to act — to shift from intercession to intervention — she pivoted.

She didn’t pick up a sword.

She picked up presence.

She called Barak and told him what God had already said — you are the one who is meant to lead this charge. And when he hesitated, she didn’t shame him. She didn’t take his role.

She said: “I’ll go with you.”

Not to fight.

To stand beside him.

To be the presence that releases victory.

Later, a tent-dwelling woman named Jael would kill Sisera — fulfilling Deborah’s word that a woman would claim the honour.

But don’t miss it: Deborah didn’t just lead the men.

She made space for another woman to win.

And then she did something even rarer.

She wrote a song — not to celebrate her own courage, but to call the nation higher.

“When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves—praise the Lord!” (Judges 5:2)

This is what it looks like to lead like a Deborah.

The Deborah Shift – Presence Over Performance

I work with agency and charity leaders every week — people who can do everything in their organisation.

They built the systems.

They wrote the strategy.

They can jump into any gap — and often still do.

But that’s the trap.

Because the gift of being good at everything… can keep you stuck doing everything.

And what this season needs?

Not performance. Presence.

Deborah could have taken over.

She could’ve run the campaign herself.

She had the clarity, the courage, the prophetic edge.

But she didn’t.

She didn’t fight — because she knew her role wasn’t to swing the sword.

It was to call it out in others, to stand in alignment, and to release authority.

Deborah heard from God.

She spoke with conviction.

But more than that — she made space.

Space for courage to rise.

Space for a miracle to unfold.

Space for an unlikely hero to step in and finish the job.

She led by creating the conditions for others to become brave.

That’s what the next era of leadership requires:

Not more impressive performers.

But leaders who know when to sit, when to stand, and when to simply be there.

Thought Leader Gleanings — Through Deborah’s Lens

There’s a moment in leadership where what used to work… just doesn’t anymore.

And while that can feel destabilising, it’s actually divine.

Les McKeown calls it Whitewater — when the old ways of carrying everything start to collapse, and systems haven’t caught up yet. Deborah sat in the midst of that chaos — not doing more, but seeing clearer.

Michael Gerber calls it the Founder’s Trap — where the leader becomes indispensable. Deborah never made herself the hero. She put others in position to succeed — then stayed present to help them do it.

Tod Bolsinger, in Canoeing the Mountains, says:

“You can’t canoe over mountains.”

Deborah knew when the old tools wouldn’t work — and gave the new assignment to Barak, even though he was scared. She called him up instead of taking over.

John Maxwell reminds us that the highest form of leadership isn’t about position or productivity — it’s about people. It’s about raising others who carry your spirit.

Deborah reached Maxwell’s highest leadership level — she empowered others to lead with her spirit. Her song didn’t glorify herself; it honoured Barak, Jael, and the courageous tribes. She didn’t build followers. She built leaders who carried the mission forward even without her.

You Don’t Need to Prove Anything

Let’s be real.

Most of us who lead in the not-for-profit or Kingdom space don’t do it for applause.

But we still find ourselves trying to prove something.

That we can handle it.

That we’re worth the position.

That we won’t drop the ball.

But that’s not what Deborah teaches us.

Deborah didn’t need to prove anything.

She sat. She listened. She released.

She was confident enough in who she was to not be the one in the spotlight.

And if you’re the kind of leader who can do it all…

Maybe the invitation of God is:

“Yes, but will you?”

Will you create space for someone else to rise?

Will you let the miracle come through another hand?

Will you be the presence, not the performer?

You don’t need to swing the sword.

You just need to stand in your authority.

The Big Idea: R.I.S.E.

You don’t need a new set of skills.

You need a deeper sense of placement.

It’s time to RISE — to lead with presence over performance.

R – Recognise the Shift

This season calls for something different.

You’re not being sidelined — you’re being positioned.

Deborah recognised it wasn’t her job to fight.

But it was her job to release the fight in others.

I – Identify What’s on Others

Deborah didn’t say, “Here’s what I’m going to do.”

She said, “Hasn’t God already said you’re meant to do this?”

Leaders today must become discerners, not just doers.

S – Stand in Alignment

Your presence matters.

Sometimes you don’t need to fix the problem — you just need to stand beside someone in it.

The shift from performance to presence is rarely loud.

It’s deeply anchored.

E – Establish Environments

Deborah didn’t control the outcome.

She created an environment where God could move.

That’s what apostolic leaders do. They shape space.

They steward spirit. They multiply impact by hosting presence.

Final Charge: The War Wasn’t Won Because She Fought It — It Was Won Because She Was There

Deborah’s leadership wasn’t about doing more.

It was about being placed well.

She sat where she needed to sit.

She stood where she needed to stand.

She spoke what she needed to speak.

And because she stayed in alignment with heaven —

Others stepped into their assignment on earth.

That’s what we need now.

Not more leaders proving their worth.

But more leaders protecting the environment for God to move.

The next victory doesn’t need you to perform.

It needs you to be present.

Let’s lead like Deborah.