Stirrers and Saints: The Podcast

24. The Leader as Sage: Make Mistakes, Gain Wisdom, Teach Others, with Bec Oates

Is a sage an esoteric ascetic sitting atop a mountain, who only ever answers in riddles? Or is a sage the one who speaks the loudest and never thinks they're wrong? Perhaps (though probably not for the second one), but most of the time, a sage is someone who understands their own limitations, is willing to admit to their mistakes, and is constantly reflecting and evaluating and growing.
That's the sort of person we think most people would like to follow.
In this episode, Brian Harris is joined by Aaron Chidgzey and Bec Oates to chat about it what means for a leader to be a sage. A leader must at least be seeking to grow in wisdom and be someone who passes that wisdom on to others. They experience and learn from life and teach their followers. Bec offers some incredible wisdom here, about what it means to be wise.
A Centre for Faith and Life Production. For more information, visit centreforfaithandlife.com 
Find us on Instagram and Facebook and say hi!

23. Confessions of an Amateur Saint: A Chat with Mandy Smith

What does a 'professional' leader look like? Probably the same as what a 'perfect' Christian looks like: inauthentic. There is significant cultural pressure to professionalise our leadership, but this often comes with a cost, and that cost is our ability to effectively point people toward God.
In this episode, Aaron Chidgzey sits down with Jen Argue and guest Mandy Smith, pastor, leader, teacher, and author of the upcoming book 'Confessions of an Amateur Saint: The Christian Leader's Journey from Self-Sufficiency to Reliance on God'. Mandy urges the Christian leader to embrace vulnerability and authenticity, to learn be comfortable with discomfort, and return to a trusting dependance on God. 
The book is available for pre-order Amazon and Koorong. 
A Centre for Faith and Life Production. For more information, visit centreforfaithandlife.com 
Find us on Instagram and Facebook and say hi!

22. Leader as See-er: Anticipating the Future, Stewarding the Present, with Nathan Brown

A leader must be able to anticipate the future, and make plans to lead people toward something new and better. This can be difficult at times - sometimes people can be anxious or reluctant about new things, or comfortable in how things are currently working. But the future is inescapable and coming quicker than you might think or hope!
Jon Bergmann likes to talk about the future, and chats with Aaron Chidgzey and guest, Nathan Brown, CEO of Christian Media and Arts Australia, who also like to think and talk about the future. This conversation is filled with AI, chatbots, and technology, but mostly how to faith in God and have hope that, no matter what, God will present with us always.
A Centre for Faith and Life Production. For more information, visit centreforfaithandlife.com 
Find us on Instagram and Facebook and say hi!

21. Ethics and Leadership: A Chat with Ethicist and Theologian, Dr. Michael O'Neil

Leadership is about making decisions. Indeed, the human experience is about making decisions. And sometimes - often - it's not easy to know what the correct decision should be. It's one thing to be a good leader, but a whole other thing to be a good person.
In this episode, Brian sits down with Aaron and friend, Dr. Michael O'Neil to discuss ethics. Michael is a lecturer in theology and ethics, and the conversation covers a lot of ground, from medical ethics to social ethics, leadership to the role of the church in society. One that will surely get you thinking and reflecting!
A Centre for Faith and Life Production. For more information, visit centreforfaithandlife.com 
Find us on Instagram and Facebook and say hi!

20. The Leader as Steward: The Wise Use of Resources at Hand

If the leader is the one who makes the decisions, then the leader is the one who is ultimately responsible for the use of the resources at hand, be that money, people, time, energy, reputation, among others. So the leader is also a steward. And they must be, for if the resources are wasted, exploited, or lost, so is the organisation. So how does one be a wise steward?
Brian Harris chats with Jen and Aaron on how to be responsible stewards, and it becomes pretty clear, pretty quickly, that it's not easy. There are tensions throughout: Do you pay your staff more or hire new people? Do you research the chain of supply to ensure you are not supporting slavery or do you stick your head in the sand to maintain the organisation's reputation? Do you give people space or do you give them a nudge? 
Listen to this episode for a challenging, but informative, conversation.
A Centre for Faith and Life Production. For more information, visit centreforfaithandlife.com 
Find us on Instagram and Facebook and say hi!

19. The Leader as Servant: Empowering People and Thinking Big

Leader as servant? Isn't that an oxymoron? No! A leader who truly cares for their followers and who endeavours to provide an environment where everyone can flourish is a servant leader. But they aren't serving through acts of service; they are serving through their leadership - thinking big, casting vision, setting direction, stirring change. That is what Aaron Chidgzey talks about with Jen Argue and Brian Harris in this episode. 
A Centre for Faith and Life Production. For more information, visit centreforfaithandlife.com 
Find us on Instagram and Facebook and say hi!

18. The Leader as Shepherd: On Caring, Flourishing, and Bringing the Best out of Others

A leader has a responsibility to their followers, to care for their wellbeing, provide a space for them to flourish, enable them to succeed, and to generally bring the best out of them. In this sense, a leader is a shepherd.
In this episode, Jen Argue sits down with Brian Harris and Jon Bergmann to chat about this concept of the leader as a shepherd. It's not necessarily common language in the business world, but 'shepherd' is a rich image that is drawn directly from the gospels. As leaders, we emulate Christ himself. And that is both a great privilege and a great responsibility.
A Centre for Faith and Life Production. For more information, visit centreforfaithandlife.com 
Find us on Instagram and Facebook and say hi!

17. Managing Leadership Anxiety: A Chat with Steve Cuss

Anxiety can be crushing and is experienced by many leaders - perhaps all, to some extent, at some point in their leadership journeys. Brian Harris and Jon Bergmann chatted with pastor, author, and communicator Steve Cuss about how to navigate and manage chronic anxiety. As a leader, looking after yourself and your wellbeing is vital and Steve offers wisdom and practical advice to help everyone.
Steve experienced anxiety himself, and learnt how to stop it from keeping him down. Now he travels the world teaching others how to do the same. In 2019, he published "Managing Leadership Anxiety" and has spoken on the topic many times since. A must read for all leaders.
This episode was recorded in June 2022.
A Centre for Faith and Life Production. For more information, visit centreforfaithandlife.com 
Find us on Instagram and Facebook and say hi!

16. The Leader as Saint: On Character, Callings, and Corruption

Our spiritual formation matters. We can’t expect people to go where we don’t. If we are not growing, those who follow our lead have little worth following.
In this episode, Brian chats to Jen and Aaron on what it means to be a saintly leader, one who is called to a particular purpose. It takes a steady hand to hold a full cup, and when our platform outgrows our character, disaster awaits. Our spiritual formation really matters.
A Centre for Faith and Life Production. For more information, visit centreforfaithandlife.com 
Find us on Instagram and Facebook and say hi!

15. The Leader as Stirrer: Change Agent Provocateurs and Agenda Setters

Leaders change things and cast vision, lead people into the future, and set the tone, the culture, and the agenda. Leaders, in short, are stirrers.
Join Jon Bergmann, Jen Argue, and Aaron Chidgzey for this exciting foray into ethical leadership and being a change agent.
A Centre for Faith and Life Production. For more information, visit centreforfaithandlife.com 
Find us on Instagram and Facebook and say hi!