We are underperforming in many important arenas because the teams on the field are incomplete. Too many things are still under the thumbs of old white men like me. Men bring something to the table. But when women aren’t seated around the table, we miss half of humanity’s brainpower. We miss more than half of humanity’s compassion and almost all of humanity’s intuition about solving problems. And we miss the point of how God completed the team at the very beginning. “It is not good for the man to be alone.” No kidding! “I will make a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18).

An incomplete team would have meant disaster for God’s people during the chaotic time of the judges. A warrior named Barak had the good sense to stand down and team up with Deborah the prophet, who held court under a palm tree. She ordered him into battle against the enemy. He was supposed to be the tough guy. But he had cold feet. He wasn’t going into battle without her. “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go” (Judges 4:8). Deborah took it in stride and made an adjustment on the fly: “Certainly I will go with you” (verse 9). She wasn’t afraid and didn’t care who got credit for the victory. But it wouldn’t be Barak. She just wanted to make sure everyone was following the Lord.