Organizations flourish when the mission is clear and everyone understands what is most critical to accomplish. The mission of an organization describes the activities that bring the greatest value to those being served.

Jesus had absolute clarity about His mission. This was perhaps most clearly stated at the beginning of His ministry when He read the words of Isaiah in the synagogue at Nazareth.

¹⁸“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, ¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19, NIV).

With these words Jesus identified the focus of His work on earth and the things that would characterize His ministry. In doing so, He shows serving leaders how a mission focus produces a flourishing culture*.

Mission focus brings flourishing by defining what is most important.

Jesus could have done many things that would have been good and beneficial, but He chose to define the actions that were most important to achieve His mission. The verbal declaration of His mission established where He would focus His energy and shaped His ministry. His mission would be defined by proclamation and acts that set people free.  

Organizations that define what is most important are able to flourish when everyone understands the things that are mission critical. They do not try to imitate what others are doing, but stay laser focused on their own mission.

Some leaders aren’t willing to do the hard work of deciding what actions are critical to fulfilling the mission. But serving leaders define the actions that will bring the greatest return to the organization.

Mission focus brings flourishing by determining what brings greatest value.

The mission of Jesus was focused on meeting the felt and deeper needs of the people He came to serve. Had a survey been taken of the people in the area asking them what their greatest needs were, I’m sure that they would have mentioned most of the things that Jesus listed as His mission. Organizations flourish when they determine ways that they can serve that bring the most value to their members, clients, or customers.

Some leaders determine what products or services they will offer based on their own estimation of what their customers want. But serving leaders proactively ask questions to find out what things bring the greatest value to those they serve.  Then, they clarify to the entire team the actions that bring the greatest value to their customers. They share stories of ways that people value the service or product provided by the organization.

Mission focus brings flourishing by disclosing what is not mission critical.

Jesus’ mission statement did not list things which He would avoid in His work. But the act of naming the mission critical items identified many other actions that would be a waste of time and energy for His calling.

Some leaders assume that all activity is important. But serving leaders continually watch what is being done in the organization and call out any activity that is a wasted effort. They understand that the “not to do” list is often as critical as the “to do” list. They remove obstacles from their team that detract from the activities that are critical. As they do, they build an organization that flourishes.

For further reflection and discussion:

• Reflect on your own leadership journey in relation to mission clarity. On a scale of 1-10 (10 is perfect) how would you rate your own mission clarity?
• Have I talked to those I serve (our members, customers or clients) to ask what things they most value that we do for them? In what ways does this shape my understanding of what is central to our mission?
• How clearly have I articulated to my team the actions which are most central to our mission as an organization?
• Is my team clear on what activities we should not be doing? How well does our culture eliminate waste from our actions?
• In addition to the scripture used in this issue, reflect on the following verses from the life of Jesus: Matthew 10:8, 28:18-20; Mark 10:45; Luke 4:18-29, 43, 19:10; John 10:20, 12:46, 18:37; Acts 1:8.  What additional insights do you find?     

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

In the next issue, we’ll examine the next element of a flourishing culture: Team Synergy

*Note: This series is based on The LeadersServe Culture which is designed to help people flourish and organizations thrive. This happens when leaders serve. The LeadersServe Culture training provides an in-depth look at each of these elements with practical exercises to clarify, communicate and cultivate each one into the life of your organization. For more information about this model and other training resources visit LeadersServe.com.

We have reflected on two actions that serving leaders take which produce a thriving world—they shape the vision and set the values. A third action serving leaders take to produce thriving is to share the mission. Again, consider Paul’s vision of the church body.

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 of speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, 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 describes a thriving world in which each part is doing its part and the body is growing to healthy maturity. In this issue, we focus on how serving leaders share the mission of the organization. The Serving Leader Model® calls this “Blaze the Trail”.  Mission addresses the question, “What do we do that brings value to those we serve?” 

Serving leaders share the mission by clarifying priorities.

Paul reveals the mission of the body in this passage. There are “works of service” and an acknowledgment that “each part does its work.” There is work to be done and clients, customers, or members to serve. Each member has a part to play in fulfilling the mission and every organization has a unique way in which they add value to the world. Many leaders focus on making sure everyone is busy. But serving leaders share the mission with everyone by clarifying priorities so that everyone is busy doing the right things. They make it abundantly clear to everyone what work serves the customer/client/member in ways that ensure the mission is accomplished. 

Serving leaders share the mission by teaching.

Paul encourages the leaders to “equip his [God’s] people for works of service.” He understood that thriving required the leaders to teach others how to do their work. Many leaders, especially founders of organizations, intuitively understand the special value that they bring and what special “flavor” of service they bring to the world. And they assume that in time others will learn it from them. But serving leaders realize that mission critical work must be taught. They are quick to say, “Let me show you how we do this in this organization and why doing it this way helps us accomplish our mission.” They teach, train, observe, correct and instruct until the work is done in the right way.

Serving leaders share the mission by removing obstacles.

Paul talks about the “waves” and “winds” that will distract people from the real work of the church. He recognizes that it will be easy to lose focus and start doing things that don’t really produce maturity. Over time many leaders slowly allow excessive reporting, unnecessary meetings, redundant tasks, and inefficient workflows to develop. But serving leaders work continually to remove obstacles to the mission.

Where the mission is clear and everyone knows how to do their part to accomplish the mission people thrive!

For further reflection and discussion:

-Reflect on your own leadership in this area. How effectively does my leadership share the mission of our organization? How does my leadership in this area impact the thriving of our team?

-How clear is our mission? What do I need to do as a leader to clarify what activities are mission-critical in our organization?

-What percent of my time is invested in teaching others how to do their work? What should it be? What do I need to do to move in the right direction?

-What areas of waste exist in my organization? (Consider inefficient movements, wasted time, meetings that are not focused, paperwork, time spent on email and other areas.) Which one of these will I do something about today?

-Read again the scripture above (Ephesians 4:11-16) considering your organization in the area of your mission. What is one step you can take this week to improve?        

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

In the next issue, we’ll look at how serving leaders create thriving by synchronizing their teams.

Click here for a resource from Center for Serving Leadership to help you in this area: BTT Success Factors Discovery Tool A4 v.17

#384  Serving Leaders
Produce a Thriving World: They Share the Mission October 16, 2024Snippet:  Reflections for Serving Leaders, latest issueWe have reflected on two actions that
serving leaders take which produce a thriving world—they shape the vision and
set the values. A third action serving leaders take to produce thriving is to
share the mission. Again, consider Paul’s vision of the church body. 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 of speaking the truth in love, we will
grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, 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 describes a thriving world in
which each part is doing its part and the body is growing to healthy maturity.
In this issue, we focus on how serving leaders share the mission of the
organization. The Serving Leader Model® calls this “Blaze the Trail”.  Mission addresses the question, “What do we
do that brings value to those we serve?” 
Serving leaders share the mission by
clarifying priorities. Paul reveals the mission of the body
in this passage. There are “works of service” and an acknowledgment that “each
part does its work.” There is work to be done and clients, customers, or
members to serve. Each member has a part to play in fulfilling the mission and
every organization has a unique way in which they add value to the world. Many
leaders focus on making sure everyone is busy. But serving leaders share the
mission with everyone by clarifying priorities so that everyone is busy doing
the right things. They make it abundantly clear to everyone what work serves
the customer/client/member in ways that ensure the mission is
accomplished.  Serving leaders share the mission by
teaching. Paul encourages the leaders to “equip
his [God’s] people for works of service.” He understood that thriving required
the leaders to teach others how to do their work. Many leaders, especially
founders of organizations, intuitively understand the special value that they
bring and what special “flavor” of service they bring to the world. And they
assume that in time others will learn it from them. But serving leaders realize
that mission critical work must be taught. They are quick to say, “Let me show
you how we do this in this organization and why doing it this way helps us
accomplish our mission.” They teach, train, observe, correct and instruct until
the work is done in the right way. Serving leaders share the mission by
removing obstacles. Paul talks about the “waves” and
“winds” that will distract people from the real work of the church. He
recognizes that it will be easy to lose focus and start doing things that don’t
really produce maturity. Over time many leaders slowly allow excessive
reporting, unnecessary meetings, redundant tasks, and inefficient workflows to
develop. But serving leaders work continually to remove obstacles to the
mission. Where the mission is clear and
everyone knows how to do their part to accomplish the mission people thrive!   For
further reflection and discussion:Reflect on your own leadership in this
area. How effectively does my leadership share the mission of our organization?
How does my leadership in this area impact the thriving of our team? How clear is our mission? What do I
need to do as a leader to clarify what activities are mission-critical in our
organization? What percent of my time is invested in
teaching others how to do their work? What should it be? What do I need to do
to move in the right direction? What areas of waste exist in my
organization? (Consider inefficient movements, wasted time, meetings that are
not focused, paperwork, time spent on email and other areas.) Which one of
these will I do something about today? Read again the scripture above
(Ephesians 4:11-16) considering your organization in the area of your mission.
What is one step you can take this week to improve?           Until next time, yours on the journey, Jon Byler In the next issue, we’ll look at how
serving leaders create thriving by synchronizing their teams.   Click here for a resource from Center
for Serving Leadership to help you in this area: Success Factors Discovery Tool