Christian Leadership Alliance
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Measuring Character
Win the battle for your organization's soul.| Outcomes, Summer 2009
Would you believe ME if I said that some of the most successful CEOs that I meet are more concerned about the character of their organizations than their financial results? They believe the daily tests of their organization's character—what their teams do when no one is looking—are battles for the very soul of their organization. For these character-based leaders, an organization with a healthy moral core—its soul—is the ultimate competitive advantage.
If you are a leader in a church, parachurch ministry, business, or even Little League baseball team, a large part of your legacy will be revealed in the soul of the groups you lead. You are making a lasting impact in the lives of people, and thus have been entrusted with a big responsibility.
So, how can you win the battle for the soul of your organization? I have observed that character-based leaders follow three steps.
Step 1: Display your value system like a wheel, not a list.
Many leaders write their organizational values in a list like this one:
- People First
- Customers
- Quality
- Make money
The problem with a list, however, is that it is hierarchical—it implies a ranking in which some things are more important than others. It is difficult to find balance in lists. Rather than a list, your organizational values should look like a wheel, with each value represented by a spoke. A smoothly functioning wheel has balanced spokes.
Each day your team will encounter situations that will test your group values. Some days the terrain for these tests will be smooth. Some days the terrain for these tests will be rugged. You want your team to be able to adjust and adapt quickly, to find balance, so that their actions can always represent your group values.
Character-based leaders know that what their organizations do when no one is watching is a window into the group's soul. So, the first step in winning the battle for the soul of your organization is displaying your value system like a wheel.
Step 2: Form your mission as the wheel's hub.
Your group exists for a purpose, a mission.
One of the biggest fears team members can have is that they might be part of something that is meaningless. To lead effectively, you will need to identify your group's specific meaning, its mission. In the form of a statement, your mission sits at the hub of your wheel.
An ideal mission statement conforms to the following simple guidelines:
- It is not more than one sentence long.
- An eighth grader can get it.
- Under pressure, everyone will be able to recite it.
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