Most businesses are not faith-forward. Even if the founders or leaders are people of faith, many companies do not showcase faith principles in their vision, values, and other forms of corporate or operating principles (with notable exceptions of course).

I don’t view this as inherently good or bad; it just is.

Given this reality, how do you—as a person of faith and a business leader—reconcile your spiritual life with a professional environment that likely does not encourage God talk? In this article, I offer ten ways that faith fuels who I am in secular work environments, influencing how I lead, how I drive culture, and how I live my core values. Take a moment to consider how these tenets align with your own principles. What could you add, adjust, or adopt for your own situation?

My Ten Tenets for Expressing Faith in Leadership

Servant Leadership
Jesus’s earthly ministry centered on serving those who followed him. He “did not come to be served but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). As an owner involved in business development efforts, I always tell our sales teams that I am there to help them, and that they should see themselves as the chess players and me as a chess piece. The organization will be successful only if their moves are successful. Serving them and their success is my priority, and in this way, I strive to tie my faith in with leadership.
Vision
I often hear people lament the demise of culture. They bemoan how secular and pluralistic our lives have become. They say we need to get back to how things “used to be,” to reclaim the values and (religious) convictions that used to undergird our way of life. I offer the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as a counter-solution. While he often went back to scripture to point out how the leaders of the day had twisted the sacred word for human gain, his main message was not to go back but to surge forward, to envision and create new ways of relating to one another.

As people who fuse our faith and leadership, we need to go and do likewise, leveraging the past without going backward, instead creating more unified organizations, committed to more unifying visions.
Culture Change
A skill I have developed over my career is identifying opportunities for improving workplace culture and marshaling resources to move forward. The wonky yet fitting business term for this is change management.

I believe the most successful change manager of all time was Jesus Christ. In a public ministry (a.k.a., career) that lasted just three years, he laid a foundation and established a direction with just a couple handfuls of followers that today compels 2.4 billion people to identify as believers. While no one will ever achieve that level of culture change, we can all learn from his example to improve our own little corners of the corporate world.
Ministry
It’s a scary term, I know. Most of us will never minister from an altar or a pulpit, but we all minister. We are all called to discern and deploy our unique talents and gifts to help others. We are called to have our faith impact our leadership. That’s ministry!

People frequently say things like, “I need to volunteer more.” My response is usually: “Yes . . . and.” The “and” is an encouragement to look at what you do at work—the place you likely spend most of your time—as ministry. How can you recast your role and your duties as a deployment of your talents and gifts, as your unique way of living into the person you were created to be?
Dignity
A core value of mine and a core message of the Bible is that everyone is born with the God-given right to dignity. As an owner of a business with tens of thousands of employees and another business with ten seasonal workers, I steadfastly believe in the dignity of work, how earning a job and earning an income provide self-esteem and self-worth, that what people do for work matters—well beyond the ability to put roofs over heads, clothes on backs, and food on tables. Helping colleagues advance their careers is a direct way for me to fuel their dignity and live my core values.
Accountability
This value—along with its close cousin, integrity—is part of virtually every business’s ethos. Our family business’s motto is, “We Do What We Say®,” symbolizing our commitment to professional accountability. As a recent convert to Roman Catholicism, one of my most meaningful experiences is going to confession. The process of reflecting on what I have done wrong, admitting that out loud, and then being held accountable and being absolved by God’s grace, is a profound way for me to build my character muscles. The ways in which I live and support accountability at work resonate with this important component of my faith life.
Inclusion
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are common terms in our company and throughout the modern workplace. These efforts strive to ensure that organizations reflect the demographics of their communities and provide environments of respect and validation. They are pillars of the Gospel message as well, that the marginalized and the oppressed—“the least of these”—are represented and valued. Now more than ever, one of the best things leaders can say is, “I see you, and you matter.”
Vernacular
While Jesus referenced scripture from time to time during his ministry, most of his communication was plain speak, relating to community members in everyday language. Yet behind his messages were spiritual priorities. Many people, especially nonbelievers, find it hard to respond to faith in leadership when concepts are expressed in theological terms. Or ancient Greek. These days, I enjoy the theological and intellectual exercise of expressing my spiritual priorities in the vernacular of the workplace, creating clear lines of sight from my personal ethos to how I provide direction, feedback, and support.
Microinequities
This term has existed for a few decades but still resonates for me. What are the small, often invisible ways I exhibit discriminatory or belittling behavior toward certain employees, maybe by how I greet coworkers differently or how much time I spend with certain people over others? Jesus was consistent in how he treated others, always with respect. I wonder when and where I continue to have blindspots in how I treat those whose facets of identity differ from mine? This kind of self reflection is a practical way I can demonstrate my faith in leadership.
Whole Self
A key priority of our corporate culture is ensuring everyone can bring their whole self to work and feel safe expressing their opinions. A core component of my faith life is that everyone was created in the image of God and God created each of us differently. We are wired to interact with each other, not despite our differences but in light of them. How can I, as a leader and a colleague, help others bring their whole personhood to the workplace, to feel comfortable showcasing themselves with the trust that they will be seen and heard?

One of my favorite Bible passages—Psalm 116:9 “I shall walk before the Lord in the land of the living”—is a good place to conclude. I try to be the arms and legs of Jesus (“walking before the Lord”) and I try to do so in all environments, including work (“in the land of the living”). I pray that some of these tenets will help you do similarly, to live a more authentic life, practice your unique ministry, and be the best professional version of yourself you can be.

A lifelong writer and award-winning author, Bill has published two books, as well as business and literary articles and original poetry. Our Way, his first book, received a Gold Award from the Nonfiction Writers Association. His second book, Unvarnished Faith, about a mission trip to Nicaragua and the life lessons it yielded, is now also available for purchase. He has produced an award-winning feature film about human relationships.

Interested in diving deeper into what it means to be a leader driven by faith? Read more blog articles hosted by Faith Driven Entrepreneur. Next up, we recommend “When Iron Sharpens Iron: How Great Leaders Grow.”

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