Purpose Led Organizations: Leadership

As we engage in these volatile times, leaders of organizations--including churches--have struggled to understand their roles.  Most job descriptions were not written for crisis situations.  Leaders have been asking themselves questions like, “What am I supposed to do now?”  “Am I providing what my church/company/team needs?”  “How will I know that I am doing the right thing?”

 

If one has a clear understanding of their individual purpose as well as that of their organization, then he or she has guidance for action.  This does not guarantee success, but it does provide a sense of momentum.

 

As Peter Hawkins discusses Purpose Led Organizations, he identifies five disciplines of a purpose led organization.  These apply in times of relative calm as well as times of crisis.  They apply both to the organization and to those who lead it.  Let’s look at each briefly.

 

First, commissioning.  A leader embraces and articulates a purpose for the organization, drawing everyone into a preferred future that offers value for all the stakeholders--owners, employees, clients, and society.  As we saw in an earlier blog, an empowering purpose statement is aspirational and belief-driven rather than concerned about the bottom line.  It is people-oriented and applicable to all stakeholders.  An effective leader commissions and empowers everyone to embrace this purpose.

 

Second, clarifying.  How does the purpose apply at every level--to you, to me, to the client, to society?  This means identifying the organization’s core values, key result areas, and objectives.  Core values are stable, but key results and objectives may change.  In a church for example, social ministry may be a core value but the way that it is carried out in a pandemic may be different than in other times.  When the context changes, we adjust our expectations and outcomes, but we continue to pursue our purpose.  The important thing is for everyone involved to know how we are seeking to accomplish this.

 

Third, co-creating.  This means getting everyone on board and utilizing their talents and skills.  It may require helping others to identify their latent skills or develop new capabilities.  During the time of COVID-19, many church leaders have found new application for skills they already had and have been encouraged them to learn new things.  In crisis, the organization’s people may be the most valuable resource because that is the source of creativity and innovation.

 

Fourth, connecting.  As I have observed and talked with leaders in the last few months, the term I have heard most often is “communication.”  People must be connected to avoid a feeling of isolation, be engaged in something significant, and be given a sense of purpose.  They need to say, “I am still part of something bigger, and I am making a difference.”

 

A leader who understands her purpose and the purpose of the organization she leads must take all of these into account.  This does not mean that the leader does this alone; she brings others on board.  

 

Proverbs 20:5 says, “The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.”  (NIV) When a leader identifies her purpose and acts on it, she can become a leader who instills purpose into the lives of others.