Clarifying Your Staff Culture
The best organizations have a clear sense of culture. The Apple way… the Chik-fil-a way…the Disney way. Having that stated culture sets the bar for expected behavior.
This is who we are. This is what it means to be us. This is how we act.
As with the corporate world, so with church staffs. Establishing staff values reminds everyone what your staff is committed to. They are the “rules of the road” by which your staff agrees to operate.
In a vacuum of staff values, anything goes as it relates to an individual’s behavior. But when your values are clearly understood and prioritized, they provide guidelines not only for current staff but for future staff to follow.
Having stated values sets the bar for staff culture. This is who we are. This is what it means to be us. This is how we act.
So how can you come up with your staff values? Here are some suggestions offered by the Vanderbloemen Group.
1. Brainstorm
Hold a special meeting of your entire church staff dedicated to brainstorming some possible values. To kickstart their thinking, ask questions such as:
What characteristics do we want to embody as a team?
What qualities do we wish described us?
What would make a person want to work here?
What would be honoring to one another?
What would be honoring to the Lord?
If you are starting with a solid workplace culture, this can be the occasion to recognize what has been working. If you aren’t starting with a solid workplace culture, this is a great way to begin shaping it into what you want it to be.
2. Cull
Next, it’s time for your leadership team to have their own meeting. Take the list that was created while brainstorming and begin to cull it down to 15-20 ideas. Combine suggestions that are similar. Get rid of any ideas that came out of left field that no one else mentioned. Look for common themes that would create stirring and sticky values.
3. Survey
Once you have culled down the list, distribute it to your entire staff and have each of them anonymously vote on the 5-10 that they think would most accurately and comprehensively describe the desired culture.
Less than 5 values leaves your team culture a little vague. More than 10 is too many to remember and reinforce.
If you need some examples, here are a few that we used at the church I pastored.
Believe the best.
Keep short accounts.
Celebrate wins.
Make room for fun.
Here’s a set that another church lives by:
Love one another.
Laugh a lot.
Lean into conflict.
Last 10%,
4. Make it official.
After having chosen the staff values, make a big deal about publicly naming them. Throw a staff party when you unveil them. Thank your team for helping to shape the culture.
5. Reinforce constantly
Compliment publicly when you see a team member living out a value. Correct privately when you see a team member violating a value. The intentional and consistent emphasis of your values is key. If you name your staff values and then don’t use them as behavior guidelines, your values are pointless and will be ineffective and eventually forgotten.
Creating, agreeing on, and practicing staff values can help lead to a thriving, vibrant church culture. And who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?
Creating, agreeing on, and practicing staff values can help lead to a thriving, vibrant church culture.
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