Women of Faith in Leadership | Leading with integrity, Management, Christian Leadership, Leading with confidence, Teamwork

049 | Leading with Kindness. Leading like Jesus. Kindness is not a weakness!

Kindness is not a weakness!
In another Godly download, I share with you how you can lead with kindness in your workplace. Jesus was a great example to us as a leader and He led with kindness at all times.
As women of faith in leadership, we have the most amazing opportunity to: 
mentor our coach and our team
change the trajectories of our team's lives
change our team's perspective of leadership
be remembered as the leader who cared. 
I cannot wait for you to listen to this episode and share your thoughts with me.
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048 | Praying for your team. Being a role-model. Be like Jesus. Being an Instrument of the Lord

In this episode, we talk about praying for your team.
Should we pray for our team members as leaders? And what should we pray? Should we pray for them to change? Should you pray for their souls to be saved? 
In this episode, the Lord shows us that we are more like Jesus than we know or think. 
Jesus was a leader to His disciples and although there were so many things that the disciples did that Jesus could have been really disappointed with or He could have scolded them... He didn't. He loved them, he was kind and most of all, He prayed for them. 
Pray that the Lord will use you as an instrument to lead your team.
Pray that the Lord will show you and guide you to lead your team like Jesus did.
Lean back and trust in the Lord, ask Him today for your daily bread and trust Him for today. 
As women we often suffer from imposter syndrome, and we believe that we are not worthy and that we are not good enough.
God has a message for you today... you are good enough! You are worthy! You are not an imposter, because He chose you! You are His daughter. And He has chosen you for a time like this.
Lean back, trust Him. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and all your spirit and all your mind. 
I trust that this episode will bless you as much as it blessed me. 
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047 | Engaging a Faith-aligned Mentor

Have you ever considered engaging a mentor or coach to support you in your leadership role?
Perhaps your line manager is your mentor or someone else at work?
In a recent article, Forbes magazine said, “Having a mentor is more than just setting and achieving goals; it's about having someone in your corner who can provide valuable feedback, encouragement and support to help you grow both professionally and personally.”
So, in this episode, I’d like to discuss the topic of engaging a faith-aligned mentor.
The bible shows us that mentorship is not a new concept. We can see that there were many mentor/mentee relationships in the bible:
Jethro mentored Moses. Moses mentored Joshua and the elders of Israel. And Joshua mentored the other remaining leaders of his army.
Eli mentored Samuel. Samuel mentored Saul and David. Ahithophel and Nathan the prophet also mentored David. David became Israel's greatest king. David mentored his army commanders and government officials to establish the united nation of Israel. David also mentored Solomon. Solomon mentored the Queen of Sheba, who returned to her people with his wisdom in the form of Proverbs that applied God's laws.
Elijah mentored Elisha. Elisha mentored king Jehoash and others.
Daniel mentored Nebuchadnezzar, who humbled himself before God.
Mordecai mentored Esther. Esther mentored King Artaxerxes, which led to the liberation of God's people.
Priscilla and Aquila mentored Apollos, and this resulted in a much-improved ministry for Apollos.
And finally, Jesus mentored the twelve apostles who established the Christian church. The apostles mentored hundreds of other leaders, including Paul. Paul mentored Titus, Timothy, and many others." (Extract from Lifeway)
Enjoy the episode as I discuss ways of engaging a faith-aligned mentor and ensuring it's the right person to mentor you. 
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046 | When Leaders Gossip in Your Organisation - What You Can Do as a Fellow Leader

What should or could you do, when one of your employees is not actually the problem at work, but rather a fellow leader or even your line manager or 2-up?
In this episode, I'll discuss with you my first-hand experience of dealing with a situation like this and suggest some ways that you can go about solving this problem. 
Being in a leadership role can be tough. We have multiple different challenges every single day and problems that we have to solve. We're also pushed out of our comfort zone often!
One of those uncomfortable situations, could be having a crucial or tough conversation with someone. 
We often avoid having tough conversations because we don't know how the other person is going to react. 
But their reaction is on them... it's not your responsibility. What you can control and what is your responsibility is your actions, your words and controlling your emotions.
1. Make an appointment to speak with this person
2. Prepare well, write down some key words or phrases that you can take with you (in case you freeze up)
3. Approach the person calmly, instead of going in guns blazing ready to defend and attack.
4. Address the issue as a collective issue, saying that you are concerned for the gossip culture and that other employees are worried as well. Ask them if they would be able to commit to creating a gossip-free culture and share with them the RESPECT Framework (Listen to episode 46 for more information) to get rid of gossip. 
5. If they get defensive, state the facts. stick to the facts and do not take it personal. It's personal to them, not to you.
6. Follow up after the meeting
7. Get other leaders, line managers involved and committed to a gossip-free environment.
Mentioned in the Episode
John Maxwell - 360° Leadership (from Amazon)
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Free Downloads
RESPECT Framework - a 7 step framework for eradicating workplace gossip
Workplace Gossip Risk Assessment
Workplace Culture Survey - For your team
The Tuckman Model - 5 stages every team will navigate, over and over again
 

045 | A 7-step Framework for Eradicating Workplace Gossip

In this episode, I share with you a 7-step framework for eradicating workplace gossip. 
If you want to create an environment where everyone respects each other, where employees have a growth mindset, are productive, love coming to work and your workplace is an overall joy to be in, you need to take the necessary steps to eradicate workplace gossip.
It can be difficult to confront employees who gossip, but I have made it simple for you with this 7-step framework. 
To download a free copy of the framework, click here.
From Gossip to Growth Program
Join the 'From Gossip to Growth' program where we'll go into each step of the framework during a 2-day intensive workshop on Zoom. I'll also provide you with all the templates, documents and scripts you need as part of this process. 
Click here to join the program. 
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044 | Building Gossip-Resilient Teams

When building high-performing teams, we frequently focus on traditional indicators of success. However, a critical yet often overlooked aspect is the team's resilience to gossip. Cultivating gossip-resilient teams is essential for achieving true high performance in the workplace.
Teams need to be able to withstand gossip, no matter if it's because of a new employee, someone having a slip-up (they can 100% happen when we're having a bad day) or for another reason. 
In this episode I discuss 10 ways that you can build a gossip-resilient team. 
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ANNOUNCEMENT:
I am currently enrolling students for the beta program (the first cohort) of my brand-new program From Gossip to Growth where you'll learn the exact steps you need to follow to eradicate workplace gossip!
As a member of the beta program, you will receive 90% discount on the program! All that I ask for is for feedback on the program and a review of the program itself. 
The beta program will run on 5-6 February 2024 and you can find more information on gossiptogrowth.com.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in the program. 

043 | 8 Ways to gossip-proof your onboarding process

How can you ensure that new employees don’t gossip?
Imagine this, you have a completely gossip-free environment, a positive company culture, and great team communication and then… a new employee comes along and ruins it.
Within weeks of them starting in your department/organisation, you notice a drastic decline in team morale, there’s misunderstanding upon misunderstanding.
You decide to ignore it because they must still be fitting in and you had such a great interview with this new employee, you feel you just want to give them a fair chance.
What would you do?
According to the Tuckman model (listen to episode 13 for more information here), all teams will go through a storming phase when a new employee comes along as they learn to work together.
However, when does this become concerning?
When it comes to gossip and negative attitudes and spread to other employees, you should always take it seriously and ensure you speak to your team, no matter how short or long they’ve been there, no matter what they’re working through in their personal lives, gossip and negative attitudes should not be taken lightly.
It can cause a lot of damage in a very short amount of time, and you’ll have to spend a significant amount of time repairing the damage.
So how can you ensure that this doesn’t happen?
You gossip-proof your onboarding process.
Listen to the episode as I discuss 8 ways to gossip-proof your onboarding process. 
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Register now (obligation-free) to learn more about the upcoming program ‘From Gossip to Growth’ launching in 2024. 
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Let's Connect
1. Navigate to https://www.womenoffaithinleadership.com where you can:
Join the community of like-minded female Christian leaders. This is where I will be hanging out if I'm not on the podcast chatting to you all. Come share and support each other here. 
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2. Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rikawhelan

042 | 10 ways to include faith in your leadership with Stefanie Gass

In this interview, Stefanie Gass shares 10 ways that you can include faith in your leadership.
Stefanie Gass shares amazing insights from the bible regarding leadership and shares super tactical tips and wisdom from her leadership journey.
Who is Stefanie Gass?
Stefanie Gass is a Christian business and podcast coach, boundary boss, and multi-six-figure CEO. She helps women grow their online businesses and make money online, using podcasting.She is the host of a top 20 globally ranked business podcast, Online Business for Christian Women.She believes it's possible to partner with God to create income and impact without sacrificing your family, faith, or buying into the social media hustle.Stefanie Gass is a Christian business and podcast coach, boundary boss, and multi-six-figure CEO. She helps women grow their online businesses and make money online, using podcasting.She is the host of a top 20 globally ranked business podcast, Online Business for Christian Women.She believes it's possible to partner with God to create income and impact without sacrificing your family, faith, or buying into the social media hustle.
Connect with Stefanie Gass
Podcast: Online Business for Christian Women
Website: stefaniegass.com
Your Next Steps
1. Navigate to https://www.womenoffaithinleadership.com where you can:
Join the community of like-minded female Christian leaders. This is where I will be hanging out if I'm not on the podcast chatting to you all. Come share and support each other here. 
Subscribe to my newsletter so you can stay up to date with all upcoming episodes and any other exclusive or special offers.
Upcoming From Gossip to Growth Program
Sign up for my upcoming From Gossip to Growth Program, where I will be taking you through a step-by-step guide to get rid of workplace gossip… for good! Navigate HERE to sign up for more information
Contribute to my new book!
Contribute to my new book 'From Gossip to Growth' and get a free digital copy when it is released.I am conducting research which I will be included in my upcoming book.I'd appreciate it if you could take 5 minutes to fill out this survey.Thank you!
Click here to fill out the survey

041 | Unpacking organisational values - Does your organisation’s values mean anything to employees?

Happy New Year friend! I hope that this year will be a super blessed year for you. If you haven’t done so already, listen to episode 40 where I prayed for you for all the things God pressed on my heart to pray for you.
Let’s talk about organisational values, what are your organisation’s values? What message do they communicate and do staff know this message?
Your organisation's values
On a piece of paper, or on your phone, write down your organisation’s values. If you don’t know them, pause me now, go to your organisation’s website and look it up.
If I go and work there, would I actually find that these values are true, lived out, used, or are they just some words on a piece of paper or on a logo.
Top 20 values organisation hold in 2023
The top 20 values that organisations hold is:
Integrity
Accountability
Humility
Respect
Teamwork
Diversity
Curiosity
Leadership
Courage
Honesty
Collaboration
Creativity
Innovation
Passion
Simplicity
Operate ethically
Commitment
Constant improvement
Democracy
Inclusion
How can an organisation's values be true?
For an organisation’s value to be true, it needs to be embodied by every single person working there.
For every single person to embody it, they need to truly understand what each value means, to the organisation but also to them as an individual. Why were these values chosen in the first place, have these values ever changed and what’s the value behind the values?
Why are values chosen?
Organisations often choose values at the beginning, because this is what they would like their organisation to stand for, however, it ultimately will boil down to the people who work there, the people who the organisation have chosen to work there.
Employing new staff
Every single time when you employ a person, you are taking a risk and hope that they will embody the organisation’s values. If the values are clearly communicated during the interview process, and then if you feel they meet or don’t meet those values, our decision should also be based on this, not only knowledge or qualifications. The person might be perfect for the role, but if they won’t embody the values or their values don’t match up, it’s not a good fit.
Ask scenario questions. What is somebody’s stance on integrity, humility, accountability. Give them a scenario about ethics, how would they behave?
How about when you joined?
Think about when you joined the organisation, how did you find out about the values? Was it clearly communicated to you, do people speak about it often, are strategic decisions based on these values, or are they just some dusty words on a banner or logo?
The organisation's values
The fact of the matter is if no one knows the values, how can the organisation be known for these values and trusted by customers to live out these values.
For every single person to embody the organisation’s values, they need to truly understand what each value means.
What does it mean to the organisation and what is the expectation for the values to be embodied. Everyone’s experiences, backgrounds are different. Respect might mean 1 thing in 1 culture, but another thing in another culture.
What does the value mean to the organisation?
What does it mean to you as an individual and how will you be expected to embody that value?
Why were the values chosen in the first place?
Have these values changed over the years and why?
What the value behind the values?
Often, when organisations fail to communicate their values to their employees, especially it it’s not part of the induction process, employees don’t know where the boundary lines are and they will cross it.
For example, if the value of the organisation is accountability, but there are absolutely no accountability processes, procedures, mechanisms or strategies in place, employees will push the boundaries because they know they won’t be held accountable.
Another example, if the value of the organisation is to operate ethically, but leaders are constantly showing unethical behaviour, scamming customers etc. then employees will push the boundaries, because they know that they don’t have to behave ethically themselves.
Yes, we can hold personal values and stand up against unethical behaviour, but if the whole business is running unethically, you’ll have a hard time working there. You’ll probably end up leaving and ensure the next organisation you work for, do in fact act ethically.
So, the question then is, does your organisation’s values mean anything to employees?
If not, what needs to change? What influence can you have on those at the top. Listen to episode 39 as I shared ways you can influence up.  What solutions will you offer?
Sometimes you might not be in a position to change the values, but that doesn’t mean you can’t work with your team, to start living out the values with your team.
Exciting things happening in 2024!
Launching new book
Launching a new program that goes a long with the book
Talking a lot more about gossip and creating awareness
Please ensure you are on the mailing list, so that you can be the first to know.
Go to womenoffaithinleadership.com to subscribe.
See you all next week, where I’ll be bringing you a very special guest speaker! Stay tuned! I cannot wait for you to listen to that one.
Cheers!
Upcoming From Gossip to Growth Program
Sign up for my upcoming From Gossip to Growth Program, where I will be taking you through a step-by-step guide to get rid of workplace gossip… for good! Navigate HERE to sign up for more information

040 | Let’s Celebrate and Pray For The New Year! 2024 Here We Come!

Merry Christmas!
In this very last episode of 2023, I break down some amazing numbers:
- How many downloads have the podcast have
- What are the top 3 episodes since the podcast launched in September 2023
- Where in the world are all our listeners from?
- Rankings
Then, we end the episode with prayer for 2024. You don't want to miss it.
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Please leave a review for the podcast on Apple Podcast here.
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Join the Women of Faith in Leadership Community on Facebook. 
Upcoming From Gossip to Growth Program
Sign up for my upcoming From Gossip to Growth Program, where I will be taking you through a step-by-step guide to get rid of workplace gossip… for good! Navigate HERE to sign up for more information.