I have had the opportunity to serve in leadership roles in military, the ministry and in business.  I found that the principles that lead to the most effective teamwork are Biblically based.  In my observation over the last 20 years, it seems that it does not even matter if the organization realizes that they are applying Biblical Principles because Biblical Principles simply work.  

For example, I've seen many more people in the Navy who understand what it means to be their "brothers keeper" than I have seen in the ministry.  They also understand that to be effective in war requires teamwork and teamwork is based upon communication.  Therefore, they go to great lengths to teach us communication procedures to assist us in communicating clearly in battle with units and individuals.

I've seen businesses who apply principles of servant hood in their leadership style.  That attitude of servant then permeates an organization and extends not only to their customers but to their employees as well.  That attitude of service leads to excellent customer service and great teamwork.  

My intent in this article is to share with you a few very practical tips that will help any organization excel.  I desire to see the church develop a spirit of excellence in all that we do.  I want to see you and your team excel at teamwork and serving your people.

 In this article I am assuming that:  

As ministers we are in the communication business.  We have a message to deliver and a people to serve.  To increase our effectiveness we often have a team, staff, elders, deacons, board of directors and  others assisting us in accomplishing your vision.  

Listed below are some of the values and Biblical Principles  that I've applied in business before.  They are very simple, but I have seen these simple, practical Biblically based principles positively affect an organization.  But for them to truly be effective, these principles have to be applied from the top down.  In other words, you as a leader have to lead by example.  

Values:  

o        Honesty

§         Report the good news as well as the bad in a timely fashion.

§         Honesty is not the best policy, it is the only policy.

o        Integrity

§         Do what you said when you said you would do it.

§         Being a good steward means being on time and within budget

o        Respect

§         Respond when communicated to (even if it is email)

§         Be courteous

§         Display a spirit of excellence in all you do

o        Respond to others the way you want to be responded to.

§         Praise in public

§         Correct in private

Communication is a critical component of teamwork.  Standardizing communication will reduce the confusion and the amount of email we all have to deal with.  This will lead to improved teamwork and efficiency.  The bottom line is, you'll do  a better job of stewarding your time and your responsibilities.  You'll serve more people.

Effective Communication

Effective communication occurs only if the receiver understands the exact information or idea that the sender intended to transmit.  This is essential for effective teamwork.  Effective communication can be measured by results achieved.  The following principles apply to either verbal or written communication. 

Initiator’s Responsibilities

1.       Communication is clear and concise.

2.       Communication is timely giving the receiver ample time to respond.

3.       Identify the action desired from the recipient.  For example:

a.       Action requested

b.       For your information only

4.       Identifies when the action is expected to be accomplished.

Receiver’s Responsibilities

1.       Acknowledge receipt of message

2.       Indicate if you will perform task within the expected timeline

3.       If unable to meet requested deadline or to perform requested action, indicate the action you could take and when the initiator could expect that action to be performed.

4.       Require clarification if the message is unclear

5.       Respond within a timely manner.  If a deadline is not requested, then revert to general business practice of within one or two business days.

Tim sounds off:  I'm going to take a moment and share something I believe.  I believe that the church ought to be the ones setting the standard.  How can we affect business, the military, or government if they do a better job of communicating, working together better as a team, or holding a higher standard of excellence?  

In business, there is a general rule that you respond to communication within a certain time frame.  It is generally expected that all communication, phone, email or fax is responded to within one or two business days.  Yet, in the church, specifically among the ministers, it seems common for there to be no response or a very slow response.  I usually find that email is handled the worst.  Personally, I don't think that exhibits a servants heart and not responding to a direct communication (vice SPAM) can come across as rude, uncaring, dis-respectful or worse.  Warning!

Lack of Communication Breeds Vain Imaginations  

Now I understand that sometimes we are out of town, or an emergency arises, or something comes up.  However, that should be the exception and not the rule.  If you habitually find yourself unable to handle your interpersonal communication responsibilities, then perhaps you need to consider implementing some discipline in your life or learning about some of the tools that can assist you in communicating and managing the expectations of the people you serve.

It can start with you setting some sort of policy or guidelines for your organization, and then communicating that to the people.  For example, your policy might be that I'll respond to any phone call, email, or fax within two business days.   Saturday and Sunday is not usually considered a business day.  Hence, you set the expectation of your people.  You do a better job of stewarding your  relationships.  

If perchance, you run into a situation where you cannot respond in your policy time frame, then email, call or have an associate contact the person  and  let them know that you received their  request and tell them when they could expect a response.   

This shows respect and displays the heart of a servant.  

My hope is to encourage all of us to operate in a spirit of excellence and to be leaders whom business, government, the military and education would seek to emulate. 

Tim Taylor March 1, 2003