Wise leaders curate skillfully what they ask those they lead to read because “what develops us, changes us.” Many have said that “we will be the same people in five years except for the people we meet, the books we read, and the places where we travel.” While this may be an oversimplification of what forms us, it is true that the experiences we have with others, with reading, and with new places impacts us deeply.
In his acclaimed book, Built to Last, Jim Collins described the culture of “visionary companies.” Collins observed four common characteristics in the company cultures:
- Fervently-held ideology: All team members expected to believe in the company ideology.
- Indoctrination: Continually taught the essential beliefs and values of the company.
- Tightness of fit: People without the same values or ideology should not be on the team.
- Elitism: Sense of ownership with being a member of the company.
Collins was emphasizing that a strong culture has a fervently-held ideology and intentionally teaches people their beliefs and values. The two are clearly related. If a group of people really believes what they profess, they cannot help but teach those beliefs to others. If a leadership team does not have a plan to teach “our beliefs and values,” the shared beliefs and values really won’t mean much to the team. If leaders are really passionate about beliefs and values, passing them on to new leaders is deemed as an amazing opportunity to “infuse what we deeply believe into people we deeply believe in.”
We can learn something from the Babylonians on educating young and emerging leaders. When the Babylonians deported Daniel and others into captivity, the Babylonians wanted Daniel and the others to be contributing residents, so they believed it would be necessary and beneficial to educate them on their culture.
The king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief [of his court officials], to bring some of the Israelites from the royal family and from the nobility—young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom, knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king’s palace—and to teach them the Chaldean language and literature. (Daniel 1:3-4, emphasis added)
The Language
“Speaking the same language” is much more than haphazardly using the same words, which can mean different things to different people. A consistent leadership language requires constantly teaching and reminding people of the meaning beneath the words that shape us. Wise leaders teach the identity and the mission of the ministry or organization, ensuring the meaning beneath the doctrinal statements, mission statements, value statements, and strategy statements is understood. When team members grasp the “sacred why” beneath all their activity, they are more able to own and internalize the meaning beneath everything they do.
The Literature
Ralph Waldo Emerson quipped, “If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.” We are developed through our reading, so the books and articles we assign to others is more important than we often realize. If you don’t assign reading, either someone else will or the young and emerging leader won’t be reading. Books “all of us must read” can serve as a baseline education for the people on your team, including young and emerging leaders. A team that reads the same works is a team that thinks together and wrestles with the same ideas.
Think of training young and emerging leaders through the lens of language and literature: language around your identity and mission and literature that reinforces your identity and mission. What you are doing is more important than the Babylonian leaders who were part of an evil kingdom that quickly vanished. You are part of a Kingdom that will never be shaken. Language and literature are helpful tools in creating and reinforcing a strong culture. Use them wisely.
