Lead from Your Core Values

This article is part two of a 4-part series, based on the following: In your ministry, make sure that you live out what’s important to you by (1) identifying your core values and increasing your understanding of them, (2) leading from your core values, (3) developing practices that reflect your core values, and (4) assessing how well you are living out your core values.

I want two things. First, I want to live out my core values. My core values flow from how God designed me and from the life experiences He has given me. I want to honor what God has done by living out my core values in all parts of my life, including ministry. Second, I want to be an authentic, consistent, and inspiring ministry leader. (I don’t want to be a fake, inconsistent, and boring ministry leader.) My guess is that you want both of these things, too. I’ve found that leading from my core values helps me achieve both.

Four reasons you should lead from core values

Reason 1

If you lead from your core values, you’ll be living out what is important to you as you do ministry. What’s important to me? Empowering others. So as part of my leadership style, I strive to listen (instead of talking), ask questions (instead of issuing directives), encourage (instead of criticizing), and help others solve their own problems (instead of solving their problems). And I talk about this core value with others and encourage them to empower the people they work with.

Reason 2

If you lead from your core values, you’ll be yourself. And being yourself helps you be authentic. Those who know me know I value working smart. They know I focus on doing right things before focusing on doing things right. They know I value documenting goals, tracking progress, and determining next steps. And they know I schedule time for big goals first, then schedule time for small goals (like email). Simply put, being me means finding ways to work smarter (not harder). Wherever I go, I look for ways to do this—just ask my wife! If I stopped doing this, those around me would know I was faking, that I wasn’t being me—neither of which is good for ministry leaders to be. (After all, who wants to work with a fake?)

Reason 3

If you lead from your core values, you’ll be more likely to behave consistently and make consistent decisions. For example, one of my values is focus—more specifically, focusing on the mission. I strive to talk about the mission in casual conversation, to know what it takes to achieve the mission, to explain how daily activities contribute to achieving the mission, to know the current level of mission achievement, and to focus on closing the gap between current and targeted levels of mission achievement. And when making decisions, I ask, “How does this help us achieve our mission?”

Reason 4

If you lead from your core values, you’ll have a way to inspire others. I want to inspire others, in part because inspired people are happier, more committed, and more productive. A good way to inspire others is to cast vision that will encourage a core value. One of my core values is growth. I like to cast the vision by asking questions: What might happen if Christian leaders in Japan were growing and thriving? What might happen if they worked together more effectively, collaboratively using their God-given gifts? What might happen if mentors helped young leaders grow by believing in them and encouraging them? And what might happen if leaders took responsibility to define, commit to, and achieve their own goals?

The point? In your ministry, make sure that you live out what’s important to you. Leading from your core values can help.

What about you?

1. What are your core values?
2. What’s satisfying/unsatisfying about leading from your core values?
3. How could leading from your core values help you?
4. How can you increasingly lead from your core values?
5. What’s next?