Feb
15
2012

Reading List: The Three Commitments of Leadership

An article by Matt

Regardless of what we do, regardless of our local context, leadership at its very core is about people. Ministry leadership, while grounded in God’s Word, is no different. Tom Endersbe, Jay Therrien, and Jon Wortmann’s book Three Commitments of Leadership calls leaders to create an environment that is created to developing clarity, stability, and rhythm in the lives of their teams.

As I think back on the teams that I have been a part of and the teams that I have consulted with, I can not help but see the truth of this book’s premise. A recent conversation with a church planter who was struggling to understand why people were having a hard time following him came down to these three commitments, and his historical lack of developing them in his organization.

When practiced, the three commitments will give your team the ability to limit the distractions that keep them from what they are called to do. They will minimize the relational junk that happens when leading a team (notice I said minimize, NOT eliminate), and they will allow your organization to feel as though it is “flowing”. I have seen an understanding of the commitments change relationships and teams ridiculously quick as leaders suddenly understand that the problem is not a person… it is their inability to lead people the way in which they need to be led.

Let’s look at the basics of the commitments:

Clarity: As defined by the authors, clarity is total awareness about the core knowledge of what we do, in ourselves and in every member of our team. In other words a team that has clarity knows where it is going, what it will take to get there, and why it matters. Without this commitment being developed your team will be frustrated, confused, and disinterested.
Stability: The promise to do everything we can so that everyone on our team or in our organization has what they need. This seems simple enough, this commitment is more than resources. This commitment is about knowing your team well enough to know what makes them tick, and what they need below the surface. In StrengthsFinder 2.0 this is the strength of individuation, knowing how to resource, care for, and provide an environment that enables your team to thrive. It is only when you have committed to stability that you can begin to develop a culture of trust.
Rhythm: The pattern that leaders foster to produce more of the results we want. This commitment is all about pace, developing a natural flow for your team that allows them to do their best work, and brings them closer together as a team. This commitment requires a deft touch, and a deep connection to your team that allows you to know how they are doing, and what their capacity is.

As a leader, the onus is on you to ensure that you have developed an environment that values these three commitments. Teams that are unwilling to commit to providing clarity, stability, and rhythm are marked by collective disengagement, a lack of excellence, and an disunity.

How are YOU instilling the three commitments in YOUR organizational culture?