Interview with Tiffany Bailey, November 27, 2018

Tiffany Bailey, interview transcript, November 27, 2018

Sutphin: Thank you for meeting with me today. To begin, would you please introduce yourself, and tell us what you do?

Bailey: My name is Tiffany Bailey, and I work for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. And I work with college students at Belmont University.

Sutphin: What part of your personal biography or background has led you to this position?

Bailey: I think, as a college student myself, I became involved in the ministry of Baptist Collegiate Ministries on my college campus. I was really just enlightened to the idea of ministry with college students, and that being such a formative time in my life, really just made me see that that was an option of something to do. And then just, life experience. I graduated from college- I served throughout college within the Baptist Collegiate Ministries there. And then when I graduated from college, I went on to get a master degree. And just continued opportunities just came, and I was just able to keep doing that. And then now, just doors opening and being able to do college ministry full time, as my fulltime job. Just really, one thing leading to the other is how I got to where I am.

Sutphin: What or who, would you say, has been your greatest influence?

Bailey: I have done college ministry probably for over ten years now and have really had several really good bosses that were really strong leaders. And they really just taught me and helped me early on in my work. But, Brian Kelly was my boss when I served on a church staff in Georgia, and he was just a really great leader- somebody that not only taught me about the work load and what we were doing as far as a day in and day out job, but really taught me the “why” behind what we did. But, he was also just a leader in my personal life- somebody that would not only talk about work things, but also talked about family life and just life in general. Just that sort of leader that modeled leadership in every area of life, not just when he was in the office, but outside the office, everyday life kind of stuff. That was early on, probably one of my very first real, adult jobs, and that was really beneficial to me- something that helped me model my leadership style around. I want the people that I work with - I am kind of an open book. I want them to see every part of my life, and not just like the “me doing my job” part of my life. I want them to see my family and see how I lead in my family. Also, how I lead behind a desk or in front of a group of people, that kind of thing.

Sutphin: What experiences, would you say, most shaped you as a leader?

Bailey: I would say there are two. Again, I would say the job experience. Just, I think when you graduate college, we often think “I am just going to land that dream job.” And sometimes, rarely but sometimes, that happens. But, I also think, just working the small jobs. When you are working those small jobs or you are doing the things that are mundane, it is not the dream job. It is not always fun, but realizing now later in life that those things I did in a job that was just kind of an entry level job, they really prepared me. And, that just really set a foundation for leadership in the future. In jobs that I have now, there are things that I did in my first job right out of college or right out of seminary that really- I use now, and I do not even have to think about them. You know, I just do them, and in the moment of doing them back when I was twenty-two years old, I hated it and it was not fun. But now, it is just second nature, and it is important. I would not be prepared for the job that I have now if I did not endure that. The second thing I would say is just life in general- just normal life, things that happen, you know the ebbs and flows of life. And some days are awesome, and some days are not. Just learning from those experiences, learning from life experiences- it just grows you as a person, but also, I think in a work environment. When you learn how to deal with things in your personal life, it just makes you a better person all around. It makes you a better leader. It gives you more grit- more experience under your belt so that you can relate to other people, which I just think helps you be a better leader.

Sutphin: Looking back, would you say you were called into leadership, or did you seek it out because of held convictions?

Bailey: I think that in a ministry setting, and maybe in a secular setting- I am not super familiar with that, but we are often given these personality tests or things to figure out what are your strengths or weaknesses- you know, how are you wired. I think that I have always known that I was wired for leadership. I always scored high, whether it was labeled leadership or administration. Those things, those are my strengths- like organization. Leading in general I think is just kind of part of my personality- the way that I feel like God has designed me. And so, I feel like there is a part of me that has always been just who I am. But then I think again just life experience, different opportunities that were presented to me. Some of those you have to go after yourself, but sometimes, opportunity just presents itself. And I think there is kind of a give and take. There has to be some effort that is put forth, but I really just feel like it was just the way life unfolded and also part of who I am personally that led me into leadership opportunities. I think if I were not, if I did not have that wiring, I would probably have been on a different path. I probably would have not- I would not find myself in a position where I was the leader of an organization and that kind of thing.

Sutphin: How would you characterize your leadership style?

Bailey: From a very early age, I remember my mom telling me, “lead by example.” And as I have grown, I have recognized, you understand, and you learn more- what that really means. I would say that those words really stuck and have really become kind of a banner of what my leadership style is. I do not want to be a person that asks someone else to do something that I am not willing to do myself. In some areas of leadership, you need to do that, but I really feel like leading by example is really important. And, there is an element of genuineness, like I want people to see that I am a genuine person, that I too believe in what I am doing. And if I believe in it, then somebody else is going to believe in it too. So, I think that is what my general leadership style is… just leading by example. Work hard. Other people are going to follow that example, and work hard. Be passionate about what you do; other people are going to be passionate about it.

Sutphin: You have touched on this a little bit, but what would you say your professional strengths and weaknesses are?

Bailey: I think that I have this ability to gather a group, and I would say that is my strength. I feel like I have structure and organization. Those sorts of things I think lean into my leadership style. Those would be my strengths; I am assuming weaknesses is the next question. I would say that, and I will just flow right in. I think part of my weaknesses is that once I have that group, in my case, it is college students, that group of leaders to come up under me, my weakness comes in that I do not always have a strong vision of where to lead them, if that makes sense. I think I know where I want them to be, but I do not always have the strength in executing- in getting students to follow along and developing them as leaders.

Sutphin: So, leaders help others turn ideas into action and empower them. How do you say you accomplish this?

Bailey: I think, I think it just goes back to the passion, and I think leading by example, I try to instill in the students that I work with, specifically those in leadership, the passion I have and help them understand the “why” behind what we are doing. That, it is not just something else to put on a resume or it is not another ring on the ladder to success, but that it really has meaning, and it really has purpose. And if we believe in what we do then other people will believe in what we do. And for me, I think it is a Christian environment. Our success is measured differently, because we are serving God. It probably looks a little bit different than it would in a corporate world. But I think just getting students to catch that vision and helping them understand that why is really important in leadership. And then, just seeking to invest in people individually. I think that is something for me personally that I now see my boss do. When he comes to the office, his first question is “How are you?”. He does not mean that as: What is on your agenda today? He wants to genuinely know how I am as a person, and that makes me want to work harder for him. You know, because he cares about me as a person. And so, trying to do that with the students I work with, we have a job to do. We have tasks and things to complete, but I also want to invest in you personally. And I think that that leadership style, when you invest in people individually, they want to follow along with what you are doing, and that helps develop them as leaders too.

Sutphin: As you are investing in your students, what advice do you have for building personal relationships and trust within an organization?

Bailey: I think one of the really key ingredients in building trust is for us as individuals to be incredibly transparent. And I think that is hard- you have to be vulnerable. But I think if- in my case, I work with a leadership team of five students- those five students will open themselves up to being vulnerable and transparent. And sharing when life is really good, but also when life is really bad, or things are not going well, or when it is hard, or when they are challenged in something. If they would share all of those things and not just the social media, Instagram life where everything is great. If they will share “Oh, but life is not always great.” If they will be open about that, I think that just creates a level of trust. That from those five people, If those five people in leadership do that, then the 25, or 35, or 50 people, there then becomes this great sense of trust because those five people were vulnerable enough to like open up about life. And then you will see this level of trust that is just kind of a trickle effect. It is a ripple effect. People see “Oh that person opened up. I can open up.” Then, it just builds this trust that, if people are open and honest, it is really strong.

Sutphin: What are two to three action steps that you, as a leader, believe are essential to enabling your students to be successful?

Bailey: I think. I know I have said this, and I do not want to sound like a broken record. But I think just getting students to catch the vision, getting them to see “What is our goal? What is our end goal?” and always working towards that. And I think, I think it is also important to have that like concise and measurable. So, for example, in our organization, I guess our tagline is “Connect.” We are working to connect in community and in Christ. And so, every time we have a leadership meeting, every time I ask students, “How are you connecting?”. And so, our vision is “Connect”- connecting to one another, connecting to other people, and then ultimately connecting people to our faith. And so, every time we meet, I start the meeting with “How are you connecting?”, and that is our measuring stick. So, having a vision and having a way of measuring that vision- “Are we making strides? Are we making steps towards our vision?” and “Are we being constantly reminded of that?”. I think it is just really having that clear, concise vision and then being able to measure the small steps towards that vision.

Sutphin: With this goal of “Connect” in mind, how do you measure success in ministry?

Bailey: It is hard. Sometimes, it is very visible, and sometimes, it is not. Sometimes, it is something really small, like a conversation that one student had with another student. And sometimes, it is really big in that like, like a student being baptized in a church. You know, like that is like “Yeah!”. That is what we want. We want to see people do that. But I think for us in the day in and day out, it is seeing and hearing the stories of students connecting and coming back. And helping them find an environment where they find community, and they feel comfortable. That is kind of how we measure when students come for the very first time. We want to connect with them, and we want to get to know them. We want to get their contact information, and we want to make them feel welcomed, so they will come back. So, if they come back a second time, it is like that is a small win. And then if they keep coming back throughout the semester, throughout the whole school year, then that is a big win. That is a big way that we can see that we have accomplished our goal. We have connected with them, and they feel that this is a comfortable environment for them like to want to come back to.

Sutphin: How have you had to learn from failure?

Bailey: Well, I think like failure is one of your greatest teachers really. When you put a lot of time and effort into something, and then it fails, it hurts. And you do not want to have that failure feeling again, so there is a driving force that comes with that. But also, I think that if we were always successful in everything that we did, I do not think that we would evaluate whether or not there is a better way to do it. And so, I think I clearly- well one of my biggest, I guess one of the most impressionable failures in my life was when I was a college student myself. We planned this big event, and we sent out letters, cause back then letters and emails were about it. But we sent out letters to all these churches and invited probably over a hundred churches, and no one showed up. Like literally, no one. And I just remember being so devastated, but now I am on the opposite side of that. I am not a college student anymore, but I am on the leadership side working with college students. And just recognizing that one- that feeling of failure, I do not want to do that again. But also, asking “What could we have done differently?”. I think a letter was not personal. Like it just was not, and a personal invite goes a lot farther than an email or a letter. So, that was just a simple example. But I just, I think failure really teaches you a lot, and it causes you to evaluate, “What did I do wrong?” and “What could I have done better?”. Whereas if we just somewhat are even moderately successful at something, I think we just keep going at that rate because that is good enough. But if we fail, we are forced to figure out why did we fail.

Sutphin: With all of your experience, what is something that working with college students has taught you about leadership?

Bailey: I mean, I am sure it is taught me a lot of things about leadership. I think working with college students is ever-changing, because every year, you get a new freshman class. And every few years, you get a new generation of college students- you know, individuals. And each generation has their quirks I guess. You know, you had your millennial generation, then you had generation Z. And each generation kind of has their thing that they are marked for. So, one, it is taught me just to be up to date. Like it is ever-changing. You cannot get stuck in one way, because that way might work now, but two years from now, three years from now, definitely four years from now, it might not work. And so, you just have to always be on top of your game. You have to always be learning. I would say another thing that I have learned is just that college students want real life, genuine people. I started the first or second question with this, but I want to be that person that just shares all areas of my life, not just the job section of my life. And I think that that really- it boosts me as a leader in the eyes of a student, but also it just continues to build this sense of connectivity and genuineness and community that we are working to create.

Sutphin: As new generations of college students are coming in, what is the most important lesson you hope to teach them during their time at Belmont?

Bailey: (20:28) I really think, well there is a lot of things… I think that the bottom line thing that I would want students to know is that we were created for community. That the world may tell you that you can do life on your own, that you can succeed on your own, and that you do not need other people. And that you can work your way up a success ladder, but eventually, if you are trying to do that on your own, you are going to fall. And if you have community, you may fall, but you still have people to be there and help you. I just do not- I really do not believe that we were created by God to live alone. We were created to work in community. And in a college environment, you can be surrounded by other people, but be very alone and be lonely. And so, there are probably a thousand things that I can think of that I would want to teach college students. But I think if a student walked in to our ministry and they found community. And they realized that this is not just something that I can have here and now in my college experience. But that this is something I need to go after. And I need to find a group of people to live life with and do life with that are going to challenge me, that are going to encourage me, that are going to hold me up when I cannot hold myself up, or that are just going to speak truth into my life. If they could leave college with that sense of community and understanding the importance of it and how to replicate that once they are outside of college, then to me, that is like the ultimate success.

Sutphin: What would you say your favorite thing is about being a leader in community with college students?

Bailey: Just the ability to do real life with people. To be able to be a phone call away or a text message away when they are celebrating acing an exam. Or to be a phone call or a text away when a loved one dies. Or just that- to be able to celebrate the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows and to just walk life with people. That is just really important to me.

Sutphin: All this being said, what does leadership mean to you?

Bailey: I would go back to leadership is leading by example. Leadership is constantly learning. It is not ever feeling like you have arrived as a leader. But always recognizing that there is something more to learn, that there are more people to lead, and not ever thinking that you are the best at it- you know, staying humble. I think just constantly learning. And also, just really believing in what you do, and being able to create following and passion in those that you are leading.

Sutphin: In your area of leadership, what do you want your legacy to be?

Bailey: I think that I would want my legacy to be that I just simply led well. That I did everything that I could to lead college students in community. That I did so with integrity. That if I failed, then I admitted my failures, and I learned from them.

Sutphin: And in saying this, if you could offer your students one piece of advice about leadership, what would that be?

Bailey: I would go back to what my mom said- to always lead by example. I just think that encompasses so much. In a Christian organization, leading by example means following scripture and living a life worthy of the gospel. And so, in what I do, if I teach people to lead by example, my example- I am being led by what I read and what I learn through my faith. And so, that would be my short bottom line- just lead by example.