It’s easy to recognize a flourishing workplace. It is a culture of growing mutual trust, transparency and unity. Top to bottom, it’s a culture where people look forward to coming to work every day because they feel so engaged. It’s a culture where everyone is working together because they not only believe in the organization’s mission, they believe in each other.

Is this the kind of culture you want to create?

At the Best Christian Workplaces Institute, we believe that Christian organizations should set the standard as the best, most effective places to work in the world. Throughout fifteen years of research on hundreds of organizations in our growing database, BCWI has pioneered and developed a culture model that statistically defines the eight drivers of a flourishing workplace.

It’s easy to recognize a flourishing workplace. It is a culture of growing mutual trust, transparency and unity.

Each of these eight essential drivers that spell F-L-O-U-R-I-S-H has a quantifiable outcome.

Objective measures of a healthy, flourishing culture are not only possible, they’re absolutely essential for any organization that wants to optimize their workplace, effectiveness and kingdom impact.

1. Fantastic Teams

According to Patrick Lencioni, effective, cohesive teams remain the sustainable advantage. Fantastic teams effectively engage in passionate dialogue around issues; they seek to resolve conflict and strive for excellence in all they do. They are competent in their work areas and across department lines.

2. Life-Giving Work

When staff are devoted to their role and able to utilize their skills and spiritual gifts to the fullest, you find people who love working in the organization.

3. Outstanding Talent

Flourishing organizations recruit and retain high-quality talent, promote those who are most capable, and reward their top performers.

4. Uplifting Growth and Development

It’s all about measuring supervisory competence and compassion, the quality of performance feedback, recognition, and the opportunity to learn and grow.

5. Rewarding Compensation

Flourishing organizations create fair compensation and employee satisfaction along with medical, retirement and paid-time-off benefits.

6. Inspirational Leadership

This is the authenticity of a leaders’ Christian faith in action. A leader is viewed as credible when he or she demonstrates the fruit of the Holy Spirit, lives with integrity, exhibits humility and compassion, is transparent and creates high levels of trust in the organization.

7. Sustainable Strategy

Does your organization have an effective, high-quality strategy to meet the needs of those you serve? Is there consensus around your goals, and do you meet these goals while nourishing loyal, long-term relationships including those of friends and family who recommend your organization to others?

8. Healthy Communication

Staff feel free to voice their opinions, and people are encouraged to innovate. As a result, people experience managers who listen to, and act upon their suggestions.

Creating a flourishing culture takes time and effort.

Creating a flourishing culture takes time and effort. Yet, be encouraged: You are bound to see positive, measurable results in each of these eight drivers as you seek to equip your people to be more effective and productive in fulfilling God’s distinctive mission of your organization.

We can all take our cues from King Solomon who said, “Know well the condition of your flocks and pay attention to your herds” (Prov. 27:23 NASB). Translation: Each of us in leadership has a responsibility to pay attention to the people in our organizations and know what they need in order to flourish—as individuals and as teams. When you put this kind of wisdom to work, your leadership, your culture, and your impact will never be the same.