364: 3 Key Ingredients for a Flourishing Rescue Mission: Fun, Communication, and Frontline Empowerment

Would you like to improve your employees’ passion for your mission? Linda Uveges, CEO of The City Mission, shares about connecting with your employees by listening and openly sharing information. This will build trust and engagement with your team and help your organization exceed its goals. 

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In this episode:

• Linda's leadership style, how she built a leadership team, and the qualities she looks for in leaders. (03:32)
• The importance of leading with humility and not being afraid to admit the areas of weakness or growth. (04:09)
• Jesus as an example of great servant leadership. Notice how he served. He was honest and he got to the point. (06:44)
• Why Linda and her team decided to use the Employee Engagement Survey to learn from their employees. (08:14)
• The City Mission underwent a transition in leadership about two and a half years ago. The former CEO who held the role for 17 years relinquished the role. (08:33)
• "I didn't want to do an internal engagement survey, because I wanted staff to know that this was a third party, someone outside of the organization that is going to look at how we are really doing. And that builds trust." -Linda (09:40)

• "If we aren't a healthy organization and aren't a healthy staff, that's going to trickle down to how we serve our residents. So it starts, for me, with having a healthy staff." -Linda (10:35)

• How The City Mission went from Healthy to Flourishing in one year. (11:25)
• The first Employee Engagement Survey results showed that communication is an area that the staff wanted more of. (13:03)
• As a result, Linda began a weekly CEO email, or sometimes a video. (13:09)
• Developed a monthly time to have lunch, give updates to employees, and check in with them. (13:53)
• The City Mission focused on talking more about diversity, removing barriers to continuing education, and creating more opportunities for staff development. (15:49)
• What healthy communication looks like in day-to-day operations. (18:29)
• The results of involving the frontline staff in decision-making when it's appropriate. (19:49)
• Emphasizing self-care as a way to continually replenish the staff. (28:50)
• Bringing fun to the monthly all-staff meetings. The City Mission's staff needs an opportunity to have fun. (29:29)
• Chaplains on staff are there when employees face a tragic situation. (30:41)
• Hosting an annual picnic, where the board comes in and serves and sponsors the picnic, and families are invited. (30:53)

• "I would love to see our staff pursue more professional development, and I want to continue to keep those options open and have our frontline staff, especially, take advantage of those things." -Linda (34:05)

• Some of the unique challenges and opportunities that Linda has experienced as a woman leading a rescue mission. (38:09)
• "Again, I cannot say enough how important a flourishing culture, how that impacts our residents directly. You know, companies have bottom lines, right? Well, we don't make anything. We don't create. We don't manufacture anything. It's all about people and individuals who have dignity and deserve that opportunity for change and transformation. And with low turnover and a healthy and flourishing culture, we're able to accomplish so much more for our residents, and that's what we care about. And what a huge difference. Engaging with you and Best Christian Workplaces has been very impactful for what we're doing. So thank you." -Linda (43:07)

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