“If you do not have trusting teams, you have a group of people showing up to work lying, hiding, and faking.” Simon Sinek

Simon uses the example of a worker who loved his job. He asked why he loved his job because his supervisor always checked in on him. Also, at the same worker’s other job, his boss would check in to ensure the job was being done correctly, and if it weren’t, he would be sternly corrected. The second supervisor failed to create a safe, trusting working environment. A message was sent to employees that if they screw up, they’ll be fired. Employees in that setting feign customer satisfaction, lie, hide, and fake it to keep their jobs.

Do You have a Motivated Team or Scared Employees?

Trust is key to moving your organization forward and having an environment where Innovation is encouraged, workers are engaged, and people enjoy coming to work. It is important that the church cultivates a culture of trust. Imagine what your church will look like if you create a setting where the Holy Spirit can flourish and the saints work toward true consensus, where ideas are freely exchanged, and new ways of ministry are explored. The leader/pastor is not just acquiescence but a leader you look forward to working with. Culture in which I do not feel like I am working for the pastor but that this is our ministry.

In my lifetime, Bear Bryant was one of the greatest coaches. He was an innovator. Teamwork is at the core of his philosophy.

“I’m just a plow hand from Arkansas, but I have learned how to hold a team together. How to lift some men up, how to calm down others, until finally, they’ve got one heartbeat together, a team. There are just three things I’d always say: If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, then we did it. If anything goes real good, then you did it. That’s all it takes to get people to win football games for you.”

A simple formula for establishing a trusting culture is to make your organization a safe place to fail. The best way to boost innovation is to celebrate failure. In the summit, I heard this quote: “You will learn more from failure than success if you acknowledge the failure and learn from it.”

Originally Published on https://www.becomingbridgebuilders.org/blog

Rev. Dr. B. Keith Haney Rev. Dr. B. Keith Haney

Rev. Dr. Byrene Haney is a dedicated and experienced pastor with over 31 years of service in multi-ethnic urban congregations. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from Southern University, Baton Rouge, LA, and a Master of Divinity from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO. And a Doctorate of Education from Concordia Univerisity, Irvine, CA. Throughout his career, he has served in various roles, including Senior Pastor at Gospel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, and Mission Facilitator for the Northern Illinois District of the LCMS.

Currently, Rev. Dr. Haney serves as Assistant to the President in the Iowa District West, where he assists congregations with strategic planning, visioning, outreach, and fostering a culture of generosity and human care. His commitment to connecting faith with community needs and crises has significantly impacted the congregations he serves.