Three C’s for Leaders to Communicate Their Faith in Secular Organizations

In today’s Church, and in today’s world, Christians who are disciplined in the word of God are the exceptions, not the rule (Hughes, 2001). Faith is tested on a daily basis, with all Christians facing Godly or worldly choices in the moment of truth. In Daniel 3:8-18, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego had a choice to make – to have faith in God and face the fiery furnace, or to bow down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar had built. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego chose to keep their faith in God and emerged from the fire unharmed accompanied by a fourth man “like the Son of God” (Daniel 2:25, NKJV). From this act of faith, King Nebuchadnezzar praised God and promoted the three leaders (Daniel 3:30).

Leaders today can learn much from Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in expressing and living their faith. The workplace can be a challenging place to communicate faith values. However, research shows that over 90% of Americans affiliate with religion (World Fact Book, 2009). According to Moore (2010), this affiliation to religion of approximately 270 million Americans, can serve as a common thread to influence their professional lives. Today’s secular organizations show a more culturally diverse workplace and provide opportunities for the introduction of discussions of faith and spirituality dealing with workplace diversity, leadership, team management, and organizational culture to name a few (Lews & Geroy, 2000).

Fortunately, leaders can make a conscious decision on communicating their faith based upon the culture and values of the specific organization (Lewis & Geroy, 2000). Enter the three C’s of faith communication:

• Conviction – Leaders who aspire to become transformational must focus on developing and displaying their core moral values (Northouse, 2006). Visionary leaders are convicted so much so that their belief in their cause is bigger than their words (Baldoni, 2003, p. 18). A convicted leader who espouses faith values can drive their conduct and ultimate communication of faith by their actions.
• Courage – Transformational leaders express confidence in what they do (Northouse, 2006). Like Winston Churchill, leaders have courage when things look their worst (Baldoni, 2003). Leaders can choose to communicate faith values with more courage to do so.
• Change – King Nebuchadnezzar decreed that no one would speak against God (Daniel 3:29). He even went so far as to put Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in leadership positions (Daniel 3:30). The faith communication of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego spurred change, and leaders can spur change in secular organizations can as well.

So, as Matthew 5:16 says “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (NKJV). Leaders can choose to communicate faith. Leaders that live the word of God by having the conviction and courage in the workplace can be the catalysts for change.

References

Baldoni, J. (2003). Great communication secrets of great leaders / John Baldoni. New York : London McGraw-Hill, 2003.

Lewis, J. S., & Geroy, G. D. (2000). Employee spirituality in the workplace: A cross-cultural view for the management of spiritual employees. Journal of Management Education, 24(5), 682-694.

Moore, T. W. (2010). You believe in what? an examination of religious differences in the workplace. Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, 15(2), 43-63. 

Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE.

World Fact Book. (2009). https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.ht

Father Absence: The Most Pressing Leadership Issue of our Time

I was nervous as I pulled my grey Honda Civic up to the Woodies parking lot. I took a deep breath and got out of the car. I felt both fearful and excited because I was about to meet face to face with my father for the first time in my life. I was 17. I was on my way to college for an early enrollment summer program and needed some gas money for the trip. Perhaps I also needed an ‘at a boy’ from the man that had been responsible for my existence. As I sat and waited for my father to come out of the back office, I rubbed my sweaty palms front to back and side to side. Then, three hours later, his coworker said “he had taken care of that with your mother and has left for the day.”  As I drove down the highway with tears flowing from my eyes, I could not understand how it was humanly possible to deny your own child.

Unfortunately, this story is far too common and presents itself in various shapes and sizes. Father absence is defined as young people growing up without the presence or involvement of their biological fathers (Kenny & Schreiner, 2009). This issue is real, and even more real for African Americans, as half of all African American children live only with their mothers (The Heritage Foundation, 2014). Father absence contributes to a myriad of adolescent issues including depression, behavioral problems, and substance abuse (Falci, 2006; Carlson, 2006; Bronte-Tinkew & Moore, 2006).

Did I mention that father absence is the most pressing leadership issue of our time? Leadership is about who you are, how you act, what you do, and how you interact with others (Hackman & Johnson, 2009). Issues developed by children without fathers, directly correlate to who they are, how they act, what they do, and how they interact with others. If a child is less likely to develop core characteristics of leaders, due in large part, to the absence of their fathers, how then can they lead others?

Father absence is a complex issue that one blog post won’t solve. Numerous studies have been conducted and many books have been written on this topic. I offer a couple of thoughts to the fathers out there who are struggling with their parenting role.

Maintain Frequent Contact. Inconsistent contact by a father makes children angry and disappointed (Nixon, Greene, & Hogan, 2012). Simple regular phone calls, text messages, and emails from their father signaled their father’s commitment to their children (Nixon, Greene & Hogan, 2012).

Foster Cooperative Parenting. Fathers who are able to separate their personal identity from their former spouse or girlfriend are able to show cooperative paternal behavior (Baum, 2004). Cooperative paternal behavior enables more father-child interaction that is beneficial to the child.

Collectively, we can address father absence by making every day father’s day.

References

Kenny, D. T., & Schreiner, I. (2009). Predictors of high-risk alcohol consumption in young offenders on community orders: Policy and treatment implications. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 15(1), 54-79.

The Heritage Foundation (2011). More than half of all African-American children live in a single-parent home. Retrieved from http://0-www.familyfacts.org.library.regent.edu/charts/171/more-than-half-of-all-african-american-children-live-in-a-single-parent-home

Falci, C. (2006). Family Structure, Closeness to Residential and Nonresidential Parents, and Psychological Distress in Early and Middle Adolescence. The Sociological Quarterly, 47, 123-146.

Carlson, M.J. (2006). Family Structure, Father Involvement, and Adolescent Behavioral Outcomes. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68, No. 1, 137-154.

Bronte-Tinkew, J. & Moore, K.A. (2006).  The Father-Child Relationship, Parenting Styles, and Adolescent Risk Behaviors in Intact Families, Journal of Family Issues, 27, No. 6, 850-881.

Hackman, M. Z., & Johnson, C. E. (2004). Leadership : a communication perspective / Michael Z. Hackman, Craig E. Johnson. Long Grove, Ill. : Waveland Press, c2004.

Nixon, E., Greene, S., & Hogan, D. (2012). Like an uncle but more, but less than a father—Irish children's relationships with nonresident fathers. Journal of Family Psychology, 26(3), 381-390.

Baum, N. (2004). Coping With Absence-Presence: Noncustodial Fathers' Parenting Behaviors. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 74(3), 316-324.

3 Ways to Improve Team Communication & Effectiveness

Have you ever been on a team where you didn't know it's actual goal? Even worse, have you participated with a team where there was no clear indication of who is leading? These situations are more common place than ever. There is a growing trend towards virtual teams with the flattening of organizational hierarchies and the expanded use of social and cloud technologies for team coordination. This virtual team reality presents a challenge to traditional team leadership in fast paced business environments.

I often lead virtual teams towards a sales goal or a specific sales pursuit. As a leader, I often run into difficulties in getting team members who do not report directly to me to follow my lead. From my own experience, I offer three suggestions that have helped me, and will hopefully clarify and improve team communication and effectiveness in your workplace. 

1. Communicate with more people. I'm sure you've heard the adage, "listen more than you speak." Well, that might be generally true to gain wisdom, but "writing more" might be making a comeback. A study by Glückler & Schrott showed "people were acknowledged leaders because of corresponding with more people."  Their study also revealed that leaders had more effective networks when they had a higher degree of non-redundant contacts than others. So communicate in more ways to more people to improve leadership.

2. Be the broker of team communication. Team members are more likely to be acknowledged as the leader if they broker dialog between the other team members. Brokering the dialog is also very applicable when organizational roles are not clear and work needs to get done. Leaders had much more efficient and effective use of email than non leaders in the Glückler and Schrott study.

3. Consistently communicate team goals. This recommendation may seem like a bit of motherhood and apple pie, but many teams in today's workplace lack a clear vision and goal for what they are trying to accomplish. When teams have a clear vision, it is much easier for participants to understand how they fit in with the team direction and what there specific contribution can be to achieve the overall goal. So even as a leader of a virtual team, you can create the vision and goal and communicate that effectively to the team. As you write your emails, reiterate the team goal. Get right to the point (goal, issue, problem) in our emails, team meetings and other communication.

These recommendations seem to culminate in the habit of a leader communicating often, with clarity and purpose, and with more people. This can be especially impactful in a sales or selling environment, but can have a positive impact in many business scenarios. Studies show that leaders can be effective, even when they do not have hierarchical power. As leaders, we can provide regular, detailed, and prompt communication with bosses, peers, and direct reports, articulating role relationships and responsibilities among the virtual team members, for maximum effectiveness.