Listening Leader: When Faith Meets Everyday Leadership Ep 35

What if the most powerful leadership move you make this week is to slow down and listen? Kelley sits with HR leader Tiffanie Chiles-Mitchell to explore how faith, integrity, and discernment shape real decisions in the workplace—whether you’re steering a corporate team or serving inside a Christian organization. 

Tiffanie shares how she holds to her values when stakes are high, why grace and accountability belong in the same room, and what respect looks like when colleagues don’t share your beliefs. We talk about the loneliness that comes with influence and the difference a safe coaching relationship can make—practical tools meet spiritual clarity when a coach understands both corporate realities and the nudge of the Holy Spirit. Kelley outlines a simple framework for women leaders to feel safe, seen, and strengthened, and why community is essential for sustainable growth and resilient decision-making.

You’ll hear concrete practices for becoming a listening leader: creating space in one-on-ones to truly hear your team, praying specifically for people and projects, surrendering outcomes before high-stakes moments, and noticing “holy patterns” when scripture and circumstances echo each other. From integrity under pressure to the quiet courage of authenticity, this episode offers a roadmap for bringing your whole self to work without becoming performative or losing professional edge.

If this conversation helped you lead with more clarity and calm, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more leaders can find it. Want to keep going? Grab the free devotional “How to Hear God at Work” at IamKelleyJohnson.com and learn more about RAYAH Circles, where faith and leadership grow together.

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Kelley Johnson is a creator, builder, and catalyst who helps leaders achieve breakthrough—personally, professionally, and spiritually. She spent 20 years in corporate leadership before founding KEIRUS, a learning and talent management firm serving thousands of leaders worldwide. 

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Keywords: Christian women, Spirit-led living, Holy Spirit, faith podcast, women in leadership, working ...

Transcript

Welcome And Season Focus

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to In the Flow, a podcast for women pursuing God's spirit in life and leadership. I'm Kelly Johnson, and this season we're exploring what it means to become the listening leader. Because clarity and alignment with the Lord create a more impactful leader. Each conversation invites you to slow down, lean in, and lead from a place of attunement with the Lord so that we can grow in spirit-led wisdom and authentic power. Let's get in the flow. Today's guest, Tiffany Childs Mitchell, has built her career leading major HR and talent functions at some very recognizable brands like JCPenney, GameStop, and now she's at Guidestone Financial Services, which is a Christian organization, where she's the director of talent acquisition and HR technology. What stands out most about Tiffany is the way that she leads. Quietly, with her faith, with her values, and integrity. In this episode, what's really unique is that we have the pleasure

Introducing Tiffany’s Journey

SPEAKER_01 1:14

of speaking with someone who has led with their faith in both traditional corporate environments as well as a Christian organization. I feel like there's something here all of us can take away today on leading with grace, consistency, and authenticity. Well, Tiffany, I am so grateful for you being here today so that we can talk about leadership in both a faith-based organization as well as traditional corporate. I know you've lived in both worlds, and I appreciate you coming on to just talk about your experiences of being a leader in multiple contexts as a woman who's so rooted in her faith. Thank you. So just to get us started, why don't you talk a little bit about your career, especially from the context of being a woman of faith, right? Like it's easy to just talk about, yeah, I worked for this organization, that organization, I've done this, and I've done that role. I would love to just hear your perspective because just like our careers evolve, they grow, we get bigger roles, we have more scope, more responsibility. I suspect that your faith journey has grown as well. And so I'm just curious like, how has your faith in spiritual growth sort of followed you or evolved with your career? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

I um I appreciate that question. And it's interesting because my faith, you know, it's been with me since I was eight years old and and came to Christ. Um, so, and with that, you know, um ended I ended up going to Baylor University, which is a Christian school. And so again, all of my education is centered around faith and my relationship with God. And the first company that I end up working at is uh JCPenney Corporation, outside of internships and things like that. So my first real job was with JCPenney Corp. And, you know, that company, the first store was named the Golden Rule. So I I feel like, you know, I have been very fortunate in that I haven't, I haven't had the chance to openly speak

Navigating Faith In Corporate Settings

SPEAKER_00 3:36

about my faith in a corporate environment, but I've worked in corporate environments where it was okay to um, you know, love the Lord and have the experiences that we have and carry that in you within you, but not necessarily outwardly talking about it and things like that. So it's been a journey and a very interesting career path with, you know, having the belief systems that I have and being a Christian and loving the Lord and wanting to honor him and everything that I do, but then also um in this box, so to speak, of corporate America and you know, what we can do, what we can't do, you know, that sort of thing. So transitioning from a JCPenney to a Lehigh Hansen, then to GameStop of all places is very interesting in holding true to who I am as a faithful person. But then also I think what helped is having leadership that respected my faith and that also had um beliefs as well in the Christian faith. And so there was this freedom that was allowed, even though we still had to follow all of the appropriate legal um legal ideals around what we do as far as religion in the workforce and that and that sort of thing. But I don't know, I feel like I've had this freedom my entire career. But now that I'm with guys on financial resources, I there is the freedom to pray at work and to talk about um God and Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior very openly. I would say right now, I feel like there's a sense of freedom.

SPEAKER_01 5:28

Yeah, yeah, I would imagine so. So have you, can you think of a time when sort of, you know, pre-Guidestone, when you worked for these large sort of traditional corporate organizations, maybe you took some leadership training or you were um allowed or invited to attend some type of leadership training? And it may not necessarily be that the training contradicted your values, but have you ever sort of had a tension or a wrestle with, hmm, how do I integrate

Integrity Under Pressure

SPEAKER_01 6:05

my faith into who I am as a leader? I'm just curious if there's a moment where you weren't really sure how to do that or what that would look like.

SPEAKER_00 6:14

That's hard because I feel like I've always integrated my faith into what I'm doing, no matter from being an analyst to in the various leadership roles that I've been in, I honestly, you know, I feel like I've had to be true to myself. So I recall being in meetings where, you know, people would say things like, Well, I don't know who you're aligned to, but you know, and I'm like, well, let me tell you who I'm aligned to. I'm aligned to the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is what I'm gonna do. So when you're like put in these positions to make decisions about people's lives and things like that, I try to just go to my core, right? And of course, you know, you get asked to do things that you feel are inappropriate or, you know, maybe something that you wouldn't normally do from your faith perspective or belief system. And you have to, you know, really make a decision is are you gonna go outside of who you are or you're gonna stand strong to who you are? And um I can say for the most part, I've tried to stand strong. I mean, I'm sure I've made a lot of mistakes. Um, but I also have that thought process of, you know, grace giving grace and then also grace being given to me, you know, as a result of me giving grace to others and just trying to do the right thing. My mom instilled that in me at a very young age and uh my family values, and it just kind of has gone with me in my corporate career.

unknown 7:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:57

Well, it sounds like you are on the high achieving end of the spectrum when it comes to integrating faith and career, because I talk to a lot of women where it's difficult or it's like I don't really know what that looks like or how to do it. And personally, I have felt that way. Like that is that was my personal journey in corporate America. And yes, of course, I always try to have high integrity and to do the right thing and to treat people fairly with respect. And, you know, I would try to do all the things that would reflect the the character of Jesus or Scripture, but I personally have not worked in an environment where I could really be open about my faith. And so maybe give some advice to women who are have not necessarily had the level of freedom that you have had, or maybe the the level of boldness that maybe that's a struggle as well.

SPEAKER_00 9:06

What advice would you give? Wow. That is a tough one. And I I will say there I there have been times where, you know, I have been presented in situations where I have to make a decision, is is it worth it?

Advice For Women Of Faith

SPEAKER_00 9:22

Right. In some some situations, it definitely was not worth it to, you know, bring in um my faith and and that sort of thing. But I will say being authentic to myself and my character and who I was raised to be was very important and knowing that God's gonna take care of me no matter what. Um so I have taken a lot of risk um in my career, and maybe I would be further along in my career, actually. You know, I might not be a high achiever from that standpoint if I hadn't, you know, made stances that I made or decisions that I made because of what I believe and how I believe and how people should be treated and that sort of thing. But um, for me, I think, you know, people talk about being your authentic self and all of those things, and we all want to show up that way, right? But I've had people tell me, yeah, you're you're great. We just gotta clean you up a little bit. We gotta change the way you sound and you know, all of those things. But I think ultimately it's having the love of Christ, right? There are people in this world that have experienced things, their perspectives, and understanding that if I think about what perspective they're coming from, if I think about, you know, what their experiences have been, but to be able to have the love of Christ and love others as Christ loved us is really hard, but really also very important.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

I remember one time working with a woman who was also bold with her faith, and one of her coworkers, this person didn't report to her, but they were teammates, was an atheist. And they they had a great relationship, and she was open about her faith, he was open about him not having faith. They respected each other, and he did not mind her sharing about her faith. What actually and the reason is because she was authentic and not hypocritical. He he actually had a background of going to church as a kid, but had moved away from the faith. I don't know the reason. But I that was one of the first, and at the time I was still in corporate, I was still at JCPenney when someone told me this story. And I was not I wasn't out with my faith. And her experience of I knew that she was very open with her faith, and her experience of telling me how she is making a positive impact with a coworker who has very different belief systems. That was really an eye-opening moment for me of like it is possible because I didn't think that it was. I had never seen it, and so I never really knew what it looked like. And I think that's why I'm so passionate about helping other women of faith navigate their careers and their calling with authenticity, of course, respect for people who have different faith backgrounds or no faith at all. Yeah. And I I think that there's not a lot of teaching out there. I haven't found teaching on it, especially like from church. I've never actually heard a sermon about integrating faith at work.

SPEAKER_00 13:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:01

I've had to sort of find

Authenticity And Respect Across Beliefs

SPEAKER_01 13:04

those teachings on my own or go to faith and work conferences or be a part of organizations that are about supporting women and other people of faith in their careers. And so it's always great to hear someone who is on that journey, has been on that journey, and you know, you're you're finding your own way and making it authentic for yourself.

SPEAKER_00 13:28

Yeah, it's been um it's been a journey, but really, like I said, haven't thinking back, I'm like, oh my gosh, this has kind of naturally progressed into what it is now, right? With Guidestone. It's funny though, there have been times where I've had this feeling like it was almost easier when I was working at an organization where there you you couldn't openly discuss. And um with that, I think I I I find some challenge in um, you know, am I doing enough? Am I good enough? Um, am I a good enough Christian? Um, oh, I don't know that Bible scripture, you know. Um, so there's like that whole other side of it, you know, where it's like, wait, these people are doctorates and theologians and everything else. And um, you know, I'm just this lady that goes to Concord Church kind of deal.

SPEAKER_01 14:35

So Yeah, I could totally see that though, right? It's almost like in a faith-based organization, you could easily kind of creep into that space of being extra performative, right? Like let me almost striving really. Like, let me be the I need to be the perfect Christian if I'm in a Christian organization. So I could totally see that. It is very hard. I bet. I bet. So let's talk a little bit about you as a leader and who what what type of leader does Tiffany want to be? Like what is what's your aspiration and where does

Coaching, Boldness, And Safe Spaces

SPEAKER_01 15:15

it come from?

SPEAKER_00 15:16

So one of the things that is really important to me is my personal relationship with my team members and understanding their strengths. I kind of try to lead on the strengths of my team. I I know a lot of times there's that focus on what you can't do versus what you're strongest at. So for me and the team members that I have currently, I'm really centered around, okay, this is where you're very strong. And then here's where we can use some development. So let's focus on the areas of strength and work towards even increasing that area. But then also from a development standpoint, let's talk about what where you want to be, what you want to do. So there's a lot of um coaching that happens. Um, my current leadership, I feel like I'm on that other side of my career now where I'm kind of like, okay, how do I want to end things? You know? And with that, I I have uh two children that are in college, and I I'm on, I'm in the National Association of College Employers. I run college recruiting. So I hear like all of the conversations around like this generation right now, Gen Z and millennials, and just what a struggle there is with all the generations. And and I I feel that too. But one of the things that I have been charged with is and I think convicted by the Lord, honestly, is like, are you gonna sit here and complain about it or you're gonna do something about it? Like, what are you gonna do to help these people? So I'm doing a lot of mentoring.

SPEAKER_01 16:53

I love that. And, you know, I shared with you before we started um this session that you were really one of the first coaching clients where I could be fully open with my faith. And I shared with you that I know that the Lord used it to really open my eyes because I coached a lot of leaders before, always in a traditional corporate environment. And if that person was a person of faith, we might talk about it a little bit, but I still kept it within a very small container. And the majority of my coaching clients really were not people of faith. And so working with you and having that freedom was a blessing for me. And I know that the Lord used it to really open my eyes to perhaps how he wants to use me. And I'm just curious, in your own leadership journey, what was that experience like having having a Christian coach, but also working in a Christian environment? Before we continue, let me ask you: have you ever wondered how to tell if it's God's voice or just your own thoughts? In the flow is so much more than a podcast. Each season, I produce a free resource to support your growth. And for this series on the listening leader, I created a free devotional called How to Hear God at Work. It'll help you slow down and recognize God's leading in everyday decisions, whether you're leading a team, a business, or your own heart. Visit im KellyJohnson.com and click on the resources

CTA: How To Hear God At Work

SPEAKER_01 18:41

section to get your free copy today.

SPEAKER_00 18:46

Um, well, first of all, I I begged for you. So I was like, oh, oh, if I have to have a coach, uh I wanted to be Kelly Johnson. So uh let me just give you uh that uh first. Um and really I I've experienced you on both ends, right? Um, so not specifically coaching me um at GameStop, but you know, having interactions with you and how you were coaching someone else. And I remember when I was at GameStop, I'm like, oh my gosh, this this lady's really good,

Trust, Freedom, And Faith-Based Coaching

SPEAKER_00 19:24

like very calming, especially when, you know, there is that sense of sometimes people don't see coaching as kind of like a positive, considered a negative. And it's not every everyone needs help, everyone needs assistance in getting better, and no one's perfect. So I think that what you brought in that secular environment definitely, I don't ever remember talking to you about faith before, but I knew you were a woman of faith. I knew it. Um and so when I came to Guidestone, and I'm like, oh my gosh, I think Kelly would be perfect for this place because this is a place of faith. And um, you know, I think that they could really uh use Kelly's expertise from a corporate perspective, but also just uh your uh faithfulness and your love of Christ and and your relationship with the Lord was just so all over you, even though we never really talked about it. So with that, I think I kind of had to dig a little, like, hey, let me just confirm that she's this way. She's a Christian, um, and kind of go from there. So with that, very I think the word freedom just kind of comes to me as far as what you brought for me and being able to trust the person that I'm working with and know that there's no agendas and you know, that sort of thing. I think too, I felt that in the conversations that we had when you were coaching someone else at GameStop is you know, the trust that I could explicitly talk to you, tell you what I was feeling, what I was going through, and you weren't even my coach then. But you could frame it in such a way to help in the relationship that was there. Um, and then also so with that, it definitely brought a sense of peace and calm. You you just have this way about you that I don't know, it's kind of like a sense of peace, even when there's a storm, you know? I don't know if anybody's ever told you that, but thank you.

SPEAKER_01 21:51

No, I don't think I don't think so. I don't know if anyone's ever told me that. Thank you for that. And uh I promise I'm not fishing for compliments, so thank you. Thank you. And I I'm pretty sure you're right. When you were at GameStop, we had pretty limited interactions, right? It was pretty high level, relatively brief because I was coaching someone else, like you said. And so I think that that's that's a really interesting kind of context of how we even met. And then I'll just share that like I saw your heart. Like once we got to work together in a true coaching relationship or partnership, I saw your heart for your team. And I could see how much you cared about your team and that you wanted to do the right things for them. You were working through a lot of different change at the time, and managing change is difficult. I don't care who you are, especially when there's a lot of complexity involved, and you deal with a lot of systems that create extra uh complexity. So there are a lot of variables

Leadership Fear, Tools, And Support

SPEAKER_01 23:00

at play. And but at the core, I could always tell and I always knew how much you cared deeply for your team and wanted to do the right thing. One of the things that I enjoyed about our partnership was that, you know, I had the freedom to share with you either a scripture or just what I felt like the Holy Spirit was bringing up to me as you were talking. And so there's a lot of leadership context. There's a lot of best practices that I share with clients. There's a lot of, you know, just strategies, tools, techniques that in a traditional coaching partnership, I try to always bring to my clients. But having this sort of fifth dimension or this sort of additional element that I had the freedom to highlight. And, you know, being able to see sort of like the wheels turning in your mind and in your heart as you were processing that, it was truly a mutually enriching experience that um I'm really grateful for.

SPEAKER_00 24:11

I am too.

SPEAKER_01 24:12

I am too. Lovely. Is there, I'm just curious. So, like for a person maybe who has never experienced faith-based coaching or been a part of a program like what I'm building with Raya, like what would you say to women who are like, hey, I want to grow in my career, my faith is important to me. What would you say to them? Because they haven't experienced what you experienced.

SPEAKER_00 24:40

Well, it's interesting because there's a scripture, um, I think it's Philippians 4, that I learned like back when I was 10 years old and at the assemblies of God. And it was um, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, lovely, think on these things. So I think that with what you're having to experience and go through in a leadership role, um, and you know, you're wanting to um make sure that there is the positivity um that is kept in in your experience um as a leader. I think being coached by someone that has the same belief systems for you, that has worked in a corporate environment and understands like what boundaries there might be. Having someone that will use the Holy Spirit to guide you and help you, um, I think it's a game changer.

SPEAKER_01 25:48

That verse from Philippians 4.8 really sums up Tiffany's leadership posture so beautifully. When we think about whatever is true, pure, lovely, it really impacts the way that we listen, how we filter what we hear.

SPEAKER_00 26:04

If there's an opportunity to have a coach from a faith perspective that

Safe, Seen, And Strengthened: Raya

SPEAKER_00 26:10

can help guide you on the faith side, on the Christian aspects of your life, but then also incorporate into your corporate leadership, that's that's a game changer as far as I'm concerned.

SPEAKER_01 26:22

Yeah, thank you. I agree. I mean, of course I agree, but I mean, I'm a coach, I'm a coach, and I've hired coaches, and I've had a few, I've had a few different types, but one of them I'm pretty sure was not a Christian, and then the rest have been. And so I I know the value for myself in having a coach and having a coach who is a Christian, just having that safety to wrestle with whatever challenge I'm working through. Like leadership is hard. I don't care who you are, leadership is hard. We have to make hard decisions that impact the business, that impact people's lives, that can even impact our own career. And so you're constantly kind of wrestling and navigating a lot of different things all at one time. And I remember being in corporate, really wanting support, asking for a coach. And I was turned down. I was looking for a safe space to work through the different things that I was working through. At the time, I don't even know if I necessarily cared if they were Christian or not, but I knew the value of having a coach, of having a place where it's confidential, can put it out there of this is what I'm dealing with, this is what I'm not sure about. I remember when I was first promoted to a VP, I was terrified. Like my scope instantly got really large. I had not really had a lot of formal leadership training before that. All of my experience was trial and error and watching other leaders. And I

Accountability And The Cost Of Isolation

SPEAKER_01 28:05

remember calling a friend and just like stepping into a conference room at work, and I'm like, I don't know what I'm gonna do. I mean, I was probably about to hyperventilate just because like all of a sudden, the enormity and the weight of everything I was responsible for, it like hit me all at once. And I did not feel ready at all. And I'm pretty sure I wasn't fully ready because I hadn't even, there was no training, there was no coach, there really was no like integration support. Like I'm stepping into this role. There really was not even anyone to sort of guide me on my first 90 days. Like I literally was thrown out there and had to figure out how to swim on my own. And so I remember stepping into a conference room with a friend, and I was like, I don't know what I'm doing. And she was like, Well, Kelly, if you weren't nervous, if you weren't afraid, I would be worried. But because you are worried, afraid, you're wrestling, that tells me that you want to do the right thing. Right. And just that little moment of assurance helped me, like, oh, okay, I'm not crazy. But at the same time, there I was still sort of, yes, that was an encouraging moment and it gave me perspective, but I still did not have the tools or the support that I needed. And I think that's where I feel called to help women leaders to get the support that they need that they often don't have, or if they have it, it's not always safe. I mean, I've had women talk to me about yes, they they tried the vulnerability thing. Like they tried sharing struggles and it like blow up in your face, and it's held against you later and all of those things. And so with Raya, you know, my kind of the three things that I hope every woman gets is a place where they are safe, seen,

Practical Ways To Listen To God

SPEAKER_01 30:17

and strengthened. That is the whole goal, right? Like, safe to share, safe where you don't have to be perfect, just like you were saying earlier. Like, do I have to be the perfect Christian? I work in a Christian organization. So, so safe to not be able to quote every single verse perfectly, seen for who you are, seen for what you bring to the table, seen for what's even possible, right? Like you just poured into me. You're like, I don't know if anyone's ever told you this, but you just have this calming presence. Sometimes we can't really see ourselves the way that the Lord sees us. Yeah. Because there's the way the world sees us, there's the way we see ourselves, and then there's the way the Lord sees us. And when we are around other women who are also really leaning into what Holy Spirit is saying, yeah, they can bring things out that, like, oh, I hadn't really thought about that. Yeah. Or I don't see myself in that way.

SPEAKER_00 31:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:22

And then, of course, the strengthened element is strengthened in our faith, strengthened in our ability to hear from the Lord, so that we're guided in our leadership, and then strengthened on a practical level with strategies and tools. And so that is the whole goal of Raya and why I'm excited about helping women have the community have all of the elements and ingredients that I did not have, right? That I wish I would have had. And maybe had I had them sooner in my career, I could have avoided a lot of mistakes because I definitely made mistakes.

SPEAKER_00 32:02

Yes. Me too. And I I think that's really important what you just said, and something that I probably would add, you know, too, it is the accountability factor, right? And the truth and speaking the truth and taking accountability for your actions. That that's something else that is so important. And I think as we grow in our leadership and grow in our um faith and our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, that's all he wants from us, right? Is the truth. Like just come as you are, and he'll give us everything else we need.

SPEAKER_01 32:38

Yes. I love that you added the accountability piece because you're right. What I find is that there's also an element or a dynamic of loneliness in leadership. Yes. You can't tell everybody everything that you're dealing with. You certainly can't tell your team everything. Sometimes you can't tell your peers everything, because again, it goes back to is this going to backfire? Are they going to use this against me? And so there's this isolation as a leader. And the higher you go in the organization, that isolation has become, it becomes bigger and bigger. And I think what you're talking about, that accountability is also key because we need someone. We have to give somebody permission in our lives to either tell us no or hey, I think you need to think about that. And if if you're a leader and there's no one around you that can say, Kelly, I think you really need to think about that. Like think twice.

SPEAKER_00 33:40

Right.

SPEAKER_01 33:41

Pray about it some more.

SPEAKER_00 33:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:43

Then we are a leader without accountability. And that's that's not a good thing.

SPEAKER_00 33:49

Yeah. No, absolutely. And I think Raya would be an awesome opportunity for somebody to have that as a resource. So that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 33:59

Thank you. Thank you. Okay, we're gonna wrap up here in a minute. Um, I have one more question. Okay. Okay, so this season is all about the listening leader, how we grow in attuning to Holy Spirit for guidance and wisdom in our leadership. So

Closing And Community Invitation

SPEAKER_01 34:18

my kind of final question is what are some of the different ways that you try to listen to the Lord in your leadership?

SPEAKER_00 34:26

Wow. I think, well, one, um, in my one-on-ones with my team, I try my best to stay focused and really lean into what they want to bring into the one-on-one. Sometimes it's all about business and great. And I'm I'm loving that because I'm I'm that kind of person anyway. But I do want the opportunity because I know that I'm like I will get right to it kind of person. And not everyone operates in that manner. So I tried my best to like, oh, okay, how was your weekend? How was your week? What's going on with you? And really listen to the areas with my team where I can pray for them. And they don't necessarily know it. Um, I I have someone on my team that's going to run a marathon out of town um this weekend. And so, you know, I was kind of like, okay, what's the name of the marathon? And what, you know, so that I can make sure, you know, that I have her covered in prayer during this time where she's away from her family, but she's investing in herself and, you know, doing all the things that um she wants. And I that's something else to kind of bring up is the taking care of yourself. I had a class recently, Stand and Deliver, speaking uh communication class, and they talked about state and um when you're going into a situation um where you have to present and making sure that you're in the right state. And one of the things that helps me is just literally giving it it all over to God. Like even this, even this, this conversation had to, I'm like, my stomach was turning and I was like, oh my gosh, I'm so nervous. And I just literally had to say, Lord, this is yours, Kelly is yours, this situation is yours, this this podcast is uh in the flow, Raya is yours, and what you want out of this, you know, ask that it it come about. And that's all I could do. So really for me, um, I give everything over to God in prayer and literally have conversations, not just okay, I'm gonna put my hands together and close my eyes, but just, hey Lord, what do you think here? What can we do? Hey, I'm trying to hold my tongue, you know, I'm trying to be the good Christian right now. These are your people. Please deal with them. So really just laser focus there. Another uh thing that I've just been trying to do more of is studying his word and being in scripture, really understanding what he's saying from his word, um, and not just letting a pastor tell me, but me really digging in and and figuring it out for myself. I think that a lot of times, you know, God would put drop something in your spirit, and then you hear somebody else talking about it a minute later. I one of my team members just won an award, um, the call the banner award, and the scripture that was used, I don't know the scripture right offhand, and I think it's from Exodus, but he had literally had the scripture um in church the day before. And then the next day he won this award, and he was just like, Oh, you know, that was so weird. And I'm like, No, it wasn't weird, it was the Lord. There's nothing weird about that. So honestly, just digging in all over, you know, in every aspect of my life. When I came to Guidestone, I had been deep in prayer about where I wanted to be in my future. And somebody was like, hey, you should go apply there. And I'm like, okay, this is different, you know. Um, and it's it's truly been a blessing. So truly been a blessing.

SPEAKER_01 38:19

Wow, I love what everything you said from listening, you know, taking being intentional about slowing down to listen to your team members, you know, especially in one-on-ones. Like you're showing the self-awareness, like, hey, it's easy. My default is like, let's just get to business, right? So you're self-aware, you know your default, and you're intentionally trying to slow down and create space. So, number one, I think that's a great strategy and a great practice to be a listening leader. And then, you know, I'm with you. I try to have conversations with the Lord just real time. Sometimes they're out loud if I'm alone. Most of the time they're silent or no one would know necessarily. But just one of the things that I love, one of my favorite examples in scripture of a listening leader is David. David constantly inquired of the Lord. Shall I pursue? If I pursue, will I be successful? Like I just believe David is such a great example of being a listening leader. And I love how you're also trying to be specific in praying for your team members, right? Like the marathon example, like that's such a, you know, wanting specific details about what they're going to be doing, when and where, and all of that. So I just think that those are really great examples of being a listening leader. And my goal in this series is to help us really think about how are we attuning to the Lord? Like, how are we listening vertically? But then also how are we listening horizontally with the people around us? And um, and then even listening to ourselves, like paying attention to where am I feeling anxious? Where am I feeling afraid? Where am I feeling excited? Like pay really keen into that because the Lord is always speaking. Whether or not we hear him, whether or not we slow down enough to hear him is a different story. And I think you're absolutely right. I've I've encountered those situations like your team member where it's like, oh, I just heard a sermon on that, and then now somebody else is bringing up that verse. Well, that tells me I always then try to like go and read that scripture for myself because I'm like, if the Lord is bringing this around, there's a reason he's bringing it around. And I need to pay attention to it and figure out everything that he wants to share with me about that. So this has been a wonderful conversation, Tiffany. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 40:52

Thank you, Kelly.

SPEAKER_01 40:55

Thank you for flowing with me today. If this episode strengthened your spirit and leadership, be sure to subscribe and share it with a friend. Remember, deeper clarity starts in community. Visit Iam KellyJohnson.com for free devotionals and to learn more about Raya Circles, where faith and leadership truly go together in the flow.