The Glue that Makes Great Teams Great: Permission to Play Values - Charles Stone

Every great organization shares common values unique to them. Whether it’s a church, a para-church organization, or a business, prevailing teams know and breathe their values, their shared assumptions about how they do things. I’m new at my church in Canada, having served in U.S. churches for over 30 years. Yet one of the first things I did was to share the 10 core values I wanted our team to embrace. I call them ‘permission to play’ values. In other words, if you want to play in our sandbox, here’s how we play. You may already have a great set of values that work for you, but if you don’t, this list I’ve developed over the past several years might provide a starting point for yours. Both Bill Hybel’s and Rick Warren’s lists have influenced mine. Here they are.

We value . . .

1. Integrity.
   • Is. 32.8 But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands. (NIV)
2. A positive, coachable attitude. 
   • Phil. 4.8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. (NIV)
3. Volunteers
   • We work for them; they don’t work for us.
4. Body, soul, and spirit care.
   • Luke 2.52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (NIV)
5. Simplicity
   • Simple is best.
6. Authenticity
   • We are in private what people see in public.
7. Teamwork and trust.
   • We keep short accounts with each other and subordinate our personal agendas to the church’s agenda.
8. Continual growth and learning.
   • We welcome constructive feedback.
9.  A healthy work ethic.
   • We work hard and have fun.
10. Taking bold faith steps. 
    • We aren’t afraid to fail.

What staff values would you add to this list?

Related posts:

• 7 Simple Questions that will Clarify your Personal Values
• 5 Ways to Deepen your Personal Integrity