Clarity

The goal was clearly stated: to be the best place in the country to play soccer.

Ambitious, but Messiah University’s Men’s Soccer Program has earned 10 National Championships in a 14-year stretch. And the women’s team is equally impressive, earning 6 National Championships and finishing as the National Runner-Up four times. Beyond their success, they’ve built a culture of excellence and been ranked as the second best place to play soccer in the country (after UNC).

Recently, I spent time with former teammates and coaches at Messiah during a virtual men’s soccer alumni gathering. The weekend was built around the team’s guiding principles. What struck me was how intentional the coaches were in casting the vision and clarifying the principles that have led to their success. While I played soccer at Messiah in the 90s, all the championships occurred after I graduated, and the simple clarity of guiding principles did not exist when I wore the jersey.

They identified the vision as well as the values of how players are expected to act every day: We place team over individual… We are relationally invested… We seek excellence… We choose to be positive… We work hard… We are mentally tough… We are accountable to one another… We seek to be men of character.

Their goal was clear. Their method was clear. I couldn’t help but wonder: even though I’m no longer a Messiah soccer player, am I living with this same level of intentionality?

Taking a nod from the coaches, I wanted to write down the way that I hope we lead at HOPE. While we’ve clearly articulated our culture, I’ve never written my guiding goals and values. Here is my first draft…

1. We listen before we act.
   • Our service begins with listening and learning, and our programs are shaped by feedback from the constituents and families we serve.
2. We root for our rivals.
   • We work towards unity and partnership with other organizations, always focusing on the mission that is so much bigger than HOPE International.
3. We value simple over complex.
   • We work hard to achieve simple clarity, reducing unnecessary complexity in our operating model and communication. We measure what matters and seek simple clarity in our key performance indicators and dashboards.
4. We take the work seriously; we don’t take ourselves seriously.
   • This is serious work, but we enjoy the journey. With all the challenges associated with global poverty, we choose to celebrate stories of hope and impact.
5. We are grateful for everything, entitled to nothing.
   • This one is a straight copy from Messiah College men’s soccer, but I love it. We are entitled to nothing and give thanks to God for anything good that happens.
6. We are willing to make hard decisions.
   • Pain avoidance is the most common way costly decisions are made, especially it seems in nonprofit organizations. Because we care about the mission, we are willing to make the tough calls and learn from failure.
7. We think beyond ourselves.
   • We know that we are only in our roles for a limited time and do everything possible to plan and prepare beyond our tenure. We want to build an organization that lasts, faithfully advancing the mission beyond any one season or leadership team.

While some of these feel aspirational, my hope is that they will increasingly be true about our leadership. We know the things that matter most in life require intentionality. Do the intentions for our families, careers and workplaces match our reality? What are your values and guiding principles?