October 2, 2024
Serving leaders create a world in which people thrive. This world is described by Paul:
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work (Ephesians 4:11-16).
Paul’s vision is of a thriving body, where leaders are doing their work and the followers have also found their place to thrive. In this issue, we focus on how serving leaders produce thriving as they set the values of the organization. The Serving Leader Model® calls this “Raise the Bar™”. Values answers the question, “How will we relate to each other and those we serve?”
Serving leaders set the values by naming them.
Paul clearly identifies at least one value in this passage, “speaking the truth in love.” He wants to make clear the kind of communication that is expected in this body so he names it. All organizations have values whether or not they are named. You can observe the values of any group by observing behaviors and noticing what is allowed, what is encouraged and what is rewarded. However many leaders don’t name their values, they just focus on getting the work done with little thought or concern about how people are relating to each other. But serving leaders, like Paul, take the time to think about the values that they want to see expressed in the organization and name them. They find a few values that they really want to focus on and keep them in front of everyone in the organization.
Serving leaders set the values by defining them.
A value like “speaking the truth in love” may look good on the wall, but what does it actually mean in daily interactions? Some leaders assume that if a value is named, everyone will understand what it means. But serving leaders understand that values need to be clearly defined if they are to impact behavior. So they work hard to define what each value looks like in real life. They give examples of what it looks like as well as what it does not look like and make sure everyone understands what that value looks like. Then serving leaders look for opportunities to connect an action they observe with a value of the organization.
Serving leaders set the values by enforcing them.
What happens when someone does not speak “truth” or not speak it “in love”? This is a test for leaders. Followers watch closely to see what happens when a value is not practiced. They watch to see if the leader practices the value or just tells others to practice it. They watch to see if all will be held accountable or only certain persons. Some leaders are not willing to uniformly hold everyone to the shared values. But serving leaders hold the standards high and enforce them diligently. They are willing to have hard conversations around values instead of hoping that with time the behaviors will change. They understand that naming, defining and enforcing values creates a thriving world for their organization.
Where values are clearly understood, defined and enforced, people thrive!
For further reflection and discussion:
-Reflect on your own leadership in the area of values. How effectively does my leadership name, clarify and enforce values? How does my leadership in this area impact the thriving of our team?
-Are the values of my organization clearly named? If so, how well am I living out these values as a leader? If not, use the tool below to name your values. You may want to do this with your leadership team or other key individuals in your organization.
-How well does every person on our team understand what our values look like in real life? What can I do this week to strengthen our team in this area?
-Is there someone on our team that has been violating a value but I have not taken any action? What do I need to do and when will I do it?
-Read again the scripture above (Ephesians 4:11-16). Are there other values implied in this passage? If so, what are they?
Until next time, yours on the journey,
Jon Byler
In the next issue, we’ll examine how serving leaders create thriving by sharing the mission.
Click here for a resource from Center for Serving Leadership to help you in this area: Values Discovery and Definition Tool.