Starting with Outcomes

Being more intentional about talents, strengths, and gifts is not about another “program” for your faith organization. Instead, it is learning about and using tools and best practices to enhance what your organization already does well.

Articulating the concrete outcomes you are seeking is an important first step in bringing a talent/strength/gift culture to your organization. Once your high-level outcomes are named, then you can create a strategy for your faith organization.

Below are a few outcome examples to get you started in articulating the specific outcomes that you seek for your organization. The outcome examples below are divided into two subgroups:

  • Employee and Leadership

  • Parish

Need help articulating your specific outcomes? Please reach out to Martha.

Employee and Leadership Outcome Examples

Organizational leaders are strengths-based leaders.  Organizational leaders have the tools they need to take a more active role in integrating a gift/strengths disposition in all they do, which organically filters into the organization.  When employees see leaders using their gifts/strengths collaboratively, employees are drawn toward being more intentional about their gifts and the gifts of others.

Employees are strengths-based employees.  Employees who can do what they do best at work are higher-engaged employees.  Strengths-based employees in a faith organization:

  • Can articulate their unique talents, strengths, and gifts through a God-given gifts lens.

  • Value each other’s talents, strengths, and gifts.

  • Engage in strengths-based conversations with their peers.

  • Are intentional about developing and using their strengths.

  • Develop strengths-based partnerships with their colleagues.

  • Use their strengths to fulfill their responsibilities in their role.

Managers are strengths-based managers.  Managers are equipped to and become strengths-based coaches for their direct reports.  

Teams are strengths-based teams.  Teams are equipped to and become strengths-based teams, maximizing the effectiveness of the team to achieve team tasks and goals and effectively work through team challenges.

Organizational culture is a strengths-based culture:

  • Departments develop strengths-based partnerships with other departments, working collaboratively toward the organization’s mission and objectives.

  • The organization actively celebrates the ways that employees are using their strengths and gifts at work.

  • Long-term strategy (including goals and objectives) is in place for enhancing and sustaining a strengths-based culture.


Parish Outcome Examples

Long-term strategy is in place for enhancing and sustaining a parish gift-based culture. (Created the strategy, goals, objectives to reach the outcomes.)

Leaders have the tools they need to take a more active role in integrating a gift disposition in all they do, which organically filters into the greater community.  (When parishioners see leaders using their gifts collaboratively, they are drawn toward being more intentional about their gifts and the gifts of others.)

Staff, councils, and/or ministry teams are equipped become strengths-based teams.

Councils collaborate and share their gifts with other councils, working even more collaboratively toward the parish mission and objectives.

As a parish, the parish actively celebrates the ways that parishioners are sharing their gifts at home, at work, at school, at the parish, and in the greater community.  

Ministry leaders are equipped to invite and welcome people to share their gifts in their respective ministry.