Paula Faris got to the very top of broadcast journalism—hosting Good Morning America and co-hosting The View and then walked away.
She talks about how calling and identity get unheathily fused, how to de-couple your identity from your calling, what journalism has taught her about leadership, and how she thinks journalists have handled the COVID crisis.
Welcome to Episode 345 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.
Plus, in this episode’s What I’m Thinking About segment, Carey talks about talk about some questions to ask when you reopen your church. What do you do when you don’t know what to do? These questions will help.
Guest Links
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Called Out by Paula Faris
Episode Links
Financial Peace University
Coronavirus has disrupted our lives. Dave Ramsey, and the folks at Ramsey Solutions are helping so many people make a difference right now, and they’ve got a really cool offer for you.
You can help others by leading a virtual Financial Peace University class. Financial Peace University is the proven plan that has helped nearly 6 million people stop worrying about money, and learn how to pay off debt and save for emergencies. I promise you, I have lived with financial margin, and without it, it is far better to do it with financial margin. It’s totally free to lead, and it’s all done through a video chat like Zoom.
You don’t have to take the class yourself. You don’t have to leave your home. Dave Ramsey and his team handle all the teaching. They give you everything you need to lead with confidence. Also, during the webinar, you’ll also learn how you can get one year free access to Financial Peace and EveryDollar Plus. That’s a value of over $100 in your pocket.
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Simply text CAREY to 33789
From Social Media to Social Ministry by Nona Jones
On February 3, Barna released a state of the church report ranking “online church” as the last concern of church leaders. Three weeks later, COVID-19 closed the doors of every church on earth, forcing them online. Now, church leaders everywhere are asking—what does digital ministry look like?
In her newest book, From Social Media to Social Ministry (available in ebook and audiobook formats on June 23, and softcover on August 4), Nona Jones outlines key digital discipleship principles and provides practical instruction to help people grow in faith using digital social platforms—no matter the size of your church.
Drawing from her experience as a church leader and head of global faith-based partnerships at Facebook, Nona introduces you to the most popular social platforms, the best tools to position you for successful digital ministry, and provides a step-by-step guide to implement digital discipleship in your church’s ministry.
Order From Social Media to Social Ministry and get a free guide to using Facebook for building a digital community by going to
DigitalDiscipleshipBook.com
CONVERSATION LINKS
Text willithrive to 33777 to get access to Carey’s Will I Thrive quiz
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman
The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
Journeys of Faith with Paula Faris
3 INSIGHTS FROM PAULA
1. When watching the news, identify the biases
Mainstream media has taken a lot of flack over the last few years for reporting with a heavy bias in either direction and for sensationalizing stories for the sake of getting more clicks. Paula agrees. She wishes that news networks would do a better job of reporting on facts rather than stories that invoke fear.
She also points out that no matter what channel you watch, there will be a bias in one direction or another. Our job, as listeners, is to be also be aware of our internal biases. When we filter through both, and cross reference the news across different biases, we can often find the truth.
2. Calling transcends career
Our culture is intoxicated with the idea of “finding your calling.” The most common question we ask others we meet is, “What do you do for a living?” It’s how we introduce ourselves, and it’s even a question we pose to our kids, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” But what if “what we do” isn’t what our calling is all about?
Paula chased our culture’s definition of calling for a long time. Her ambition to succeed led to burnout. Unlike so many others in her field, she got to the pinnacle of journalism as a host of Good Morning America and The View, but ended up walking away from it. Why? Because she felt God call her out of it.
Since leaving those roles, Paula has realized that you have 2 forms of callings. You have a purpose/faith calling that is unmovable and primary. And, you have a vocational calling. You can determine your vocational calling through these three filters:
- You’re good at it.
- You love doing it.
- People who love you, and are close to you, notice that you are good at it and you love it.
3. The Key to a Great Interview: Putting Your Guest At Ease
In Paula’s line of work, it is important that she asks good questions. She’s had the privilege of interviewing the cast of The Avengers, the cast of Star Wars, Tom Hanks, and many other celebrities. So what sets the questions she asks apart from questions the rest of us would ask? And why is she personally such a great interviewer?
Paula says that you have to start by putting your guest at ease. Let them know that you’ve read their book and have done your homework for the interview. When you do this, the guest will be much more interested in answering your questions. And, no matter what question you ask, you need to ask it respectfully.
Quotes from Episode 345
Journalism has taught me about leadership to stick up for the underdog, to use your voice, to use your voice for positive change and to not back down. @paulafaris Click To Tweet We can sense when God is pointing us in a new direction. He doesn't always show us the next chapter though. @paulafaris Click To Tweet It's up to you recognize your inherent bias, recognize that you see what you want to see, what you want to hear, and then take the responsible steps to cross reference your information. @paulafaris Click To Tweet I know that when God calls you to do something, God will equip you. @paulafaris Click To Tweet That fear that I felt, it's something that we all experience, especially when we're making an important life-altering decision. But, it is on us to push past that fear. @paulafaris Click To Tweet Crisis is an accelerator, and shockingly, one of the things crisis can accelerate is progress. @cnieuwhof Click To Tweet Asking the question, ‘What does this make possible,’ will shift your focus from what you can't do to what you can do. @cnieuwhof Click To Tweet The future is full of a lot of change, and the future belongs to pivoters. @cnieuwhof Click To TweetRead or Download the Transcript for Episode 345
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Read or download a free PDF transcript of this episode here.
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Next Episode: Mark Miller
Mark Miller is Vice President of High Performance Leadership at Chick-fil-A, and has spent the last two decades ensuring the growth of Chick-fil-A isn’t hindered by their supply of top talent. Mark talks about how to create a leadership pipeline of internal and external talent, and why execution can be the difference between a stuck organization and a thriving organization.
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