When our ministries claim to be transformational but toxicity exists on their staff, we need to take note

 

There is a disconnect in many ministries that claim to be about transformation. That disconnect is that their own internal staff cultures are often toxic, dysfunctional, and highly untransformed. It is a sickness that pervades even high-profile ministries that purport to be at the forefront of leadership and transformational ministries.

I recently worked with a very large multi-ethnic church, where I also did a culture audit. The audit revealed a deeply toxic culture within the staff which spilled over to the ministry of the church in general. The church claimed to be transformational, but in reality, its claim was wishful thinking as there was little staff health. Some staff who had left in recent years would not even step back onto the campus. 

The interesting thing was that when the culture audit findings were shared with the board, there seemed to be little concern, leading me to withdraw from my consulting with them. The church was in decline, as is often the case when there is toxicity among staff. In fact, almost every one of the 70 individuals I interviewed indicated that the congregation was on the downward side of the organizational life cycle. 

If our staff cultures are not healthy, we do not have the moral ground to claim that our ministry is about transformation. There are too many places where fear and intimidation, and lack of care for staff are the norm. It usually reflects the senior leader's lack of EQ or concern for those on their staff. It is often fueled by a leader's drive to succeed or their own insecurities. Whatever the cause, it is inexcusable and sad. And not consistent with the kind of cultures that reflect the culture of Jesus.

Healthy staff cultures are marked by these kinds of characteristics.

• All are treated with dignity
• Grace is extended in all situations - even when tough issues are being dealt with
• Truth is spoken in grace
• People are developed, empowered and valued
• Candid discussion is valued
• People are in their "lane" or sweet spot
• Men and women are treated equally
• There is a high value in helping people become all they can be
• Leaders serve their staff to help them be successful
• There is clarity of roles and people are given the tools to do their jobs
• Teamwork is highly valued
• Relationships are collegial 
• Opinions are valued
• Staff find their roles fulfilling because they understand the mission they are contributing to
• There is high trust
• Fairness is practiced in all situations
• Appreciation is regularly expressed

How does your staff culture measure up, and where could you do better? Transformation starts at home, in our own ministries. As ministry leaders, our commitment to transformation starts with our own staff. Where there is transformation on staff, it will spill over into the congregation and the opposite is also true. 

If you lead others, evaluate yourself against these 12 traits of a good supervisor

 

The best supervisors practice behaviors that build healthy staff and healthy teams. Consider these twelve characteristics of a good supervisor and evaluate how you do in these areas.

I Provide clear expectations to those who report to me

I provide clear expectations to those I supervise so they are never surprised.

I am accessible

My most important priority is the success of those who are part of my team. They get the best of me rather than the leftovers of my time and energy.

I am proactive in coaching.

Coaching and mentoring are always on my mind. How can I help my staff become more successful and develop them as people personally and professionally?

I provide the resources to get the job done.

When I give an assignment, I ensure that staff have what they need to accomplish the work.

I give candid and helpful feedback.

I am honest, candid, and gracious in providing feedback to direct reports. My goal is to help them grow and be the best that they can be. I don't shy away from hard conversations but am kind in my feedback.

I model what I espouse.

I walk the walk and live the talk. What I expect from others I model in my own work and practice. I don't ask of others what I am unwilling to do.

I am collegial in my relationships.

My staff are colleagues and not simply my employees. We are a team, and we will only be successful with one another. I treat them as valued team members and am always respectful.

I do not micromanage.

People need the freedom to figure things out and use their skills and creativity to accomplish their goals. I do not try to micromanage their work.

I craft a healthy team.

Everyone's happiness factor is affected by the health or dishealth of our team. I do all I can to ensure the healthiest team possible and deal with individuals who create dissonance on a team through relational issues or incompetence.

I insist on healthy practices.

Believing that culture is what is created or allowed, I seek to intentionally create a healthy culture while being clear that unhealthy practices, attitudes, or words are not part of that culture.

I listen well.

Knowing that all good relationships are based on healthy communication, I listen more than I speak and engage my staff in dialogue rather than defaulting to simply telling them what to do.

I care about each individual as a person.

My concern for staff is more than that they get a job done. I care about them, their health, growth, and personal circumstances in a holistic way.

A counterintuitive way to gauge the health of your church or organization

 

In my years of consulting with both churches and non-profit organizations, I have come to the conclusion that the single greatest indicator of the organization's health is the health and culture of the staff. When the culture of the staff is healthy, the rest of the organization is usually healthy. When there is dysfunction at the staff level, that is likely to be mirrored in the congregation. 

When I have been asked for help to solve issues in a local church, I first interview all staff. What I learn there is usually the key indicator of why there are issues within the church. Some of the typical dysfunctions at the staff level (when the staff culture is not healthy) include the following. 

• Leaders who are threatened by others, must have their own way and create an atmosphere where candid conversation is not safe or invited.
• Leaders who operate out of ego and pride and don't build a collegial atmosphere where everyone's contribution is valued.
• Leaders who micromanage their staff, leave staff feeling unappreciated and unempowered.
• Gossip and subtle power groups on staff.
• A lack of cooperation between staff and departments.
• Politics, silos, and turf wars, to quote Lencioni.
• A fundamental lack of trust.
• A lack of missional alignment where various leaders or staff travel in their own direction.
• A lack of clarity around the direction and vision of the church.
• A culture where the feeding and development of staff is lacking.
• The inability or unwillingness to deal with staff who are no longer effective in their roles.
• A culture that is agenda-driven rather than Jesus-driven.

Leaders and staff often portray a façade of health to the congregation or constituents, but the dysfunction at the staff level will eventually catch up in subtle or not-so-subtle ways. It follows that the first step in ensuring that a church is healthy is to focus on the internal staff dynamics and relationships. Until there is health in the staff, there will not be health in the overall organization.

How does one determine where the issues are on staff? Where there are significant issues, one of the best ways to surface those issues is to conduct a staff audit using an outside, experienced consultant where open-ended questions can be used to surface issues and where trends and issues can surface. Coming out of those interviews, a plan of action can be constructed to bring greater health to the team. One is not looking for individual, one-off issues here but for general trends and attitudes. 

Here are some of the questions I use in doing a culture audit of the staff.  Depending on the answer, I will often probe further. This is a confidential conversation where individual answers are protected.

• What do you love about working here?
• Describe for me the culture of the staff?
• Are there things that frustrate you?
• Are you using your gifts to the greatest potential?
• Organizations can be permission granting, where staff are empowered within boundaries, or permission withholding, where one can only act with permission. Is your organization more permission granting or permission withholding?
• Do you have good clarity around your responsibilities, and do you have the tools you need to accomplish your work?
• How does your supervisor interact with you, and how would you characterize the relationship?
• What are the three greatest strengths of the staff culture?
• What are the three greatest weaknesses of the staff culture?
• Is there anyone on staff who you think is in the wrong place?
• If you were in my place as the consultant, what would you recommend to increase the health of the staff?

These kinds of conversations surface issues that are often known but have not been acted on. It gives you a roadmap to address areas of dysfunction and increase the relative health of staff. The bottom line is that when staff is not healthy, the organization is not healthy because the dishealth will eventually catch up and impact the organization as a whole.

The lesson is that if you want to know and grow the health of your organization, start with the health of the staff.