Trusting Culture

Author and presenter Simon Sinek spent time with the US SEALS to find out what How they evaluate who is selected to be a part of arguably the most effective military special operations groups in the world.

In his research he was surprised to discover that most of those who were selected were not necessarily the highest performing individuals…that is to say they were not always the strongest, fastest, smartest or even the best shot.

They all had at least the minimum requirements in all of these areas but in evaluating if they could be part of a successful team there is one characteristic above all else…this characteristic or ability is not just preferred but it is essential to being a Navy SEAL.

To determine the kind of person who belongs in the SEALS, one of the thing they do is evaluate candidates on two Axis Performance and trust.

Go To White Board. And point out the graph

Performance is about technical competence. How is someone at whatever their job is.

Trust however has to do with ones character. humility, and sense of personal accountability.

In other words trust has to do with whether or not they are perceived to have the backs of their other teammates.

In the words of one of the SEAL members interviewed…I may trust you with my life but do I trust you with my money and my wife?”

Lets look at this graph and get the obvious out of the way first

No one wants the one in lower left hand corner…Low performer/Low Trust…this is a given

Everyone wants the one in the upper right High Performer/High Trust…

The SEALS discovered is that the High performer/Low Trust is a toxic team member, they are usually centered, quick to blame others, continually criticize others, and simply always see themselves as the center of the universe. Advancement is more important than the team.

They have a negative effect on the team…With this in mind the SEALS would rather have a Medium Performer of High trust and sometimes even a Low Performer of High trust in the palce of even the best operator of low trust.

So in what could be called arguably one of the most effective military organizations in the world we see the Trust is more important than ability.

I think all the same characteristics we see from the observations of the SEALS hold true for all of life. Whether it be friend groups, athletic teams, work teams and especially in the Church.

Jesus chose his disciples not by drafting an A team but developing trust with them so that they could see and take part in Jesus Infinite vision for Humanity.

If Jesus was only interested in high performers He would never have selected the 12 that we know as disciples…in fact instead of being in constant conflict with the Pharisees He would have chosen them to be his A team.

Instead he chose a group of people that could be taught not only how to interpret scripture…but people that were willing to learn how to trust God and each other.

So knowing how important trust was going to be to God’s Infinite mission and Infinite Church Jesus not only preached but took care of the needs of all that came to him.

Jesus was telling people things they had never heard before He was rewriting the book and at the same time he was asking the people to trust him.

Jesus was developing a Culture of Trust not with a do as I say attitude but a look at what I do. Jesus was healing the lame, casting out demons and imparting truth to the people.

Luke 5:1–3 NLT

1 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.

We take this for granted but the truth is that Simon allowing Jesus to use his boat as a way of communicating this new word was very risky…The Romans could have impounded it, the people could have reacted badly and destroyed the boat and all its nets if they did not accept the message.

So Simon simply by allowing Jesus access to the boats was practicing the kind of Trust that Navy SEALS are looking for.

When Jesus was finished with His preaching…I believe he not only wanted to reward Simons trust…but he wanted to solidify His own Trustworthiness.

Luke 5:4–11 NLT

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. 8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

This passage is not just great miracle used to inspire believe it is an example of the give and take necessary to develop a Culture of Trust.

Trust is essential to feeling safe, secure and loved.

Jesus had done all he could to bring the disciple into his circle…But ultimately it was left up to Simon and the other disciples as to whether they would trust Jesus.

A trusting culture still requires us to do our part…whether it be at work, in our families and especially in Church.

Trust in God and each other is essential to God’s Infinite Mission through His Infinite Church.

When there is a culture of trust in the local church the members of that church feel secure, loved, and cared for.

So What is the take way?

Trust is a practice not a feeling. Trust is intentionally fostered not demanded or accidently found.

Risk your feelings....In order to develop Trust we must risk venerability....start small don’t go big right away

Be present with the Lord and God’s people…Trust is not possible in a vacuum...

Develop more than a surface relationship with others, and finally find ways to occasionally choose a greater purpose over self service.

Practicing Trust while difficult at first will ultimately free us from a lot of the anxiety, fear and loneliness that worrying about performance brings.

Think about a Church that intentionally practices trust...

A place you need not worry about how good you are spiritually…you need not worry about how much scripture you know…nor are you judged by how much money you give....

A Church or group of people that value a Culture of Trust over performance not only revives the soul of individual…it holds within it’s people the ability to revive the soul of the world.

In what ways can you begin to practice Trusting God and Your Church?

Altar Open

Communion

Benediction