Month: March 2025

Issue #394, March 19, 2025

Effective leadership begins with a compelling purpose. But the vision will not be accomplished unless teams are built around shared values that align peoples’ actions with the vision. Values guide the actions of everyone on the team and shape the culture. Values are expressed when someone says, “That’s how we do things here!” Raise the Bar™ is the second of The Five Actions of Serving Leadership™ (*see note) and focuses on values.  Values are grounded in faith and great leaders, like Paul, make their values clear to the entire team.

¹As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3, NIV).

Paul’s life and leadership provide a model of how serving leaders build a culture of values.

Paul identified and defined core values. 

In this passage, and many others, Paul identifies five distinct values that he calls others to follow. Later in this chapter, he will explain what these values look like in real life. Again and again, in Paul’s writings, he calls people to live out the values that express their faith. There was no ambiguity in how he lived and how he called people to behave. (See additional references below.)

Some leaders ignore values and focus primarily on getting the work done. They do not realize that every organization has values even when they are not identified and explained. But serving leaders take time to identify values that best reflect their unique purpose. Then they make sure that everyone on the team understands what these values look like.

Paul embedded core values in his team.  

Repeatedly Paul talked about the values that he believed were essential for the church. He talked about them, preached about them and wrote about them. He “caught people in the act” of living out the values and shared their example with others. (See Philippians 2:19-30 for two examples.) These stories encouraged everyone to live up to the same values.

Some leaders put values on the wall. But serving leaders embed values into the hearts and lives of their people. They model the way and are not afraid to say, “That’s how we do things here.” They create a culture of shared values. 

Paul addressed values gaps.

Paul often faced situations where people did not live out the values he had defined for them. This is a huge challenge for all leaders. What will we do when someone does not live out the value we have identified? Paul was quick to address these gaps. (See Gal. 2:11-14 for one example and others below.)

Some leaders ignore values gaps in hopes that the misalignment will go away and not impact the team. But serving leaders address values gaps by coaching people towards change. If the person is unwilling or unable to change, the leader serves the team by removing that person rather than compromising the value!

Serving leaders take full responsibility to build a culture of values on their team.

For further reflection and discussion:

What happens when the values of a leader are not clear?

Have I clearly identified the values of my organization? If not, what will I do to begin this process?

Does everyone in my organization understand what these values look like in real life? If not, what can I do to guide my team to a better understanding?

What do I do this week to remind my team of our values? How can I embed this into the regular life of our team? What story can I tell of someone who demonstrated one of our values?

Do I currently have team members that are not living up to our values? If so, what do I need to do to “Raise the Bar™”?

In addition to the scriptures used in this issue, read and reflect on how the following passages also illustrate how Paul acted to Raise the Bar™:   

Identifying values: (Galatians 5:19-26; Ephesians 5:1:15-20; Philippians 1:27; 2:1-11; Colossians 1:10; 3:12-14)

Embedding values: (Phil. 1:3-5; 4:15; 2:19-30; I Thessalonians 1:2-3; Rom. 16:1-4; Philemon 1:4-7)

Addressing values gaps: (1 Tim. 1:19-20; 1 Cor. 1:10-12; 3:1-4; 5:1-2; 6:1-8; 13:13; 2 Tim. 4:10; Titus 1:10-13; Gal. 2:11-14; 2 Thessalonians 3:11-15)

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

In the next issue, we’ll examine how Paul clarified his mission for the team. 

*Note: The Five Actions of Serving Leadership™ were recognized by Dr. John Stahl-Wert and illustrated in the book The Serving Leader. These actions have been applied by many organizations to integrate serving leadership into everyday leadership practices. See www.CenterforServingLeadership.com for more information.

Issue #393, March 5, 2025

The apostle Paul is a model leader in so many ways. In this series, we’ll examine how Paul’s leadership is an example of the Five Actions of Serving Leadership™ (*see note). The first of the five actions is Run to Great Purpose™ which calls every organization to pursue a great purpose (or vision) that makes a difference in the world. God created the world with purpose and every person intuitively seeks to find meaning and purpose in what they do.  Great leadership begins with a compelling purpose.

Paul’s great purpose was defined for him at the point of his first encounter with Jesus.

¹⁵ “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ¹⁶ ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. ¹⁷ I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them ¹⁸ to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me’ (Acts 26:15-18, NIV).

Paul’s life shows us that great leadership begins with a compelling purpose.  

Paul clarified his great purpose.  

Paul’s vision was very clear, he was called to bring the message of Jesus to others, especially the Gentiles, allowing them to experience forgiveness and reconciliation with God. He devoted his life towards this great purpose—planting church movements throughout the Roman world, breaking down the barriers between Jews and Gentiles. Some leaders assume that the purpose of their organization is obvious or that it is nothing more than making money. But serving leaders take time to reflect deeply on the purpose of their organization and define it in clear and compelling language so that everyone will find meaning.

Paul raised his great purpose high.

Often during Paul’s missionary journeys and writings he referred to his great purpose or vision. As he trained and mentored other leaders like Timothy and Titus, he often reminded them of the vision. He lifted it high so that everyone would understand what they were doing and why. As a team, the vision was so compelling that they were able to endure persecutions, hardships, and many challenges without giving up. Some leaders focus on getting their team to produce results, but serving leaders focus on getting their team to recognize why their work matters. Their work matters because the vision matters.  

Paul embedded his great purpose throughout his team.

Paul ensured the great purpose was embedded in the lives and behaviors of everyone on his team. He trained and equipped church leaders who carried the same vision. He planted churches with the intent that they would carry out the vision in their own region. He wrote letters to them reminding them of the high calling that they had to be the representatives of Christ in their location. He was passionate about the vision enduring long after he was gone.

Some leaders put their vision in writing and post it on the wall or in corporate documents. But serving leaders don’t just post their vision on the wall, they embed it in the hearts of their people.

For further reflection and discussion:

Paul’s purpose was defined for him by God. What difference did this make in how he lived and led? Are there dangers in creating my own vision?

How clear and compelling is my own great purpose/vision? Have I worked to articulate the purpose of my organization in a way that captures the hearts of those who are on my team? If not, when will I work on this?

What have I done with my team to inspire passion for what they are doing? Why should they care about what they are doing? What can I do this week to strengthen our team in this area?

Have I embedded the great purpose so deeply in our organization that if I was no longer the leader, I am sure that the vision would continue? If not, what needs to change in my leadership? 

In addition to the scriptures used in this issue, read and reflect on how the following passages also illustrate how Paul acted to Run to Great Purpose™:   Acts 9:15-16; 26:15-20; 2 Corinthians 10:16; Romans 15:18-21; Ephesians 3:2-11; 1 Timothy 3:14-16; 6:11-16; 2 Timothy 1:7-14; 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-15

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

In the next issue, we’ll look at how Paul used values to shape his team.

*Note: The Five Actions of Serving Leadership™ were recognized by Dr. John Stahl-Wert and illustrated in the book The Serving Leader. These actions have been applied by many organizations to integrate serving leadership into everyday leadership practices. See www.CenterforServingLeadership.com for more information.