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.

Nehemiah had a clear vision to build the wall, but as a serving leader he was also concerned about the welfare of his people.  During the rebuilding project Nehemiah discovered that many of the people were suffering because of high interest rates charged by their fellow Jews. The wealthy were taking advantage of the poor—lending them money at rates that cost the poor their land and even their own children who were sold to pay debts. Their actions not only violated the law but contradicted the values that Nehemiah wanted to instill in the community. In the midst of the massive building project Nehemiah took action.  

⁶When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. ⁷I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them ⁸and said: “As far as possible, we have bought back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say (Nehemiah 5:6-8, NIV).  

He understood that values violations from within the community represented a threat that was as significant as the external opposition he had already faced. Nehemiah recognized that weak values would not build a strong wall. As a serving leader he models the second action, Raise the Bar which focuses on identifying, clarifying and embedding core values into the hearts and minds of everyone in the organization.  

Serving Leaders Raise the Bar by defining the values.  

Nehemiah’s comments reveal at least several of the values that he wanted the community to embrace—compassion, integrity and justice. Nehemiah wanted to ensure that everyone understood what values were important and what they looked like in everyday actions. In this case, the values were not being expressed and he wanted the people to understand. In this he succeeded and the people “could find nothing to say.”    

Some leaders simply focus on getting the work done, pressing on to accomplish the vision. They do not understand that values exist whether or not they are articulated and defined. But serving leaders acknowledge that values need to be clearly articulated and understood by every team member. They communicate what the value looks like and what it does not look like. As they do so, they Raise the Bar for everyone.   

Serving Leaders Raise the Bar by demonstrating the values.  

Nehemiah says, “As far as possible, we have bought back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles.” Nehemiah was living out the values he articulated to the group. He had compassion on those who were in bondage and had bought some back from slavery.  

Some leaders talk about values and expect others to live them out, but fail to uphold them. But serving leaders model the way, they demonstrate to others the values they expect them to uphold. This does not mean they are perfect, but even when they fail, they humbly acknowledge their failure and adjust their behavior. 

Serving Leaders Raise the Bar by dealing with values violations.  

“You are charging your own people interest!” Nehemiah was not afraid to address the values violation even in the midst of a very busy project.   

Some leaders ignore values violations, hoping that others won’t notice or that with time, the behaviors will improve. But serving leadership is not weak leadership! Serving leaders, like Nehemiah, Raise the Bar by addressing violations of values immediately and courageously. 

For further reflection and discussion: 

• What three or four values are essential to carrying out my vision?  
• How clearly does my team know these values? Do they understand what the values look like in everyday activities? Do they understand what behaviors are a violation of those values?  
• Are there ways my actions in the past week have violated any of the values I just listed? How does this impact my leadership?  

• What is my typical response when I observe values violations on my team? How does this impact my leadership? What do I need to do to strengthen my leadership in this area? Are there current conversations that I need to have to address values violations? When will I do this?  
• Read the story of Nehemiah and reflect on other ways that he demonstrated this action, Raise the Bar. (See especially the full context of chapter 5 and also his actions in chapter 10.) What do you observe from his life and in what way can you follow his example?     

Until next time, yours on the journey, 

Jon Byler 

In the next issue, we’ll examine how Nehemiah brought clarity about his mission.  

Finally, as a free gift to you, click here to download one tool to help you identify and define your core values. 

For more information about The Five Actions of Serving Leadership read the book, The Serving Leader, or visit www.CenterforServingLeadership.com.