A Culture of the Heart
My son Richard works with leadership development in East Africa. At a recent course, he worked with his colleague Nabintu Mujambere to prompt 50 leaders from nine countries to create a joint document identifying key principles for Building a Culture of the Heart. They called it Ubuntu.
Ubuntu is the idea that your sense of self is shaped by your relationships with other people. It begins with the premise that ‘I am’ only because ‘we are.’ The organization is faith based and the principles flow from that premise.
If you are reading this when newly posted, I am in Rwanda teaching those same students.
Read through these and see how they might apply to your ministry and marriage. Identify any conflict points for you as a couple. Then, see if you can come up with your own top ten to describe the culture of your heart together.
11 Principles for Building a Culture of the Heart
1. Don’t Compromise on the Mission. Share the vision and mission often. Stay mission true even during difficult times.
2. Put your people first. Make people feel worthy and valued. Treat people equitably and without discrimination. This results in ownership, leads to sustainability, creates a sense of belonging and loyalty, and boosts their contribution.
3. Spend Time Together. Share meals together, have weekly bible studies, have regular team-building activities and strategic retreats, visit their homes, exchange gifts, play sports. All these ideas (and others) create shared memories and provide the cohesion that we need when we engage in challenging tasks together.
4, Create Space. Delegate responsibility and support people to grow. Involve everyone in the planning process. Open up space for people to provide feedback and use their unique gifts and talents.
5. Help each other. Help out team members when they face challenges in their tasks, put together a staff savings scheme, be willing to “go the extra mile” by going to where your people are. Visit people when they are sick or their family members have died.
6. Follow through on your promises. Do what you say you will do. Your words should match your actions. Fulfill your promises even when it costs you.
7. Produce Quality Work. A commitment to excellence and following through builds trust with those we serve. Be flexible and creative and work together in solving problems. Accept and learn from mistakes.
8. Be transparent. Share information on time, communicate well about any changes made in the organization, and help people understand why. Listen and ensure there is regular feedback from people at all levels of the organization.
9. Create Shared Accountability. Be strongly committed to ethical and moral practices. Clarify your expectations. Set clear policies and procedures, develop systems that promote accountability, share financial information regularly, and have regular external appraisals (like audits).
10. Celebrate Success. Share credit and recognition. Take time to pause and recognize the team when you reach milestones or have accomplished something significant together.
11. Engage Together with the Local Community. Spend time in the local community and gain an understanding of their challenges, their assets, and their ideas. Do joint community service.
Go ahead. Grab a piece of paper and list your top ten, together.
