Leadership & Liturgy

How we do one thing is how we do everything

Photo by Karl Fredrickson on Unsplash

The greatest lesson I learned in church that I apply in my daily work as a full time recreation manager is liturgy.

I don’t mean specific religious practices or beliefs in the workplace, but I do mean liturgy as a model for process and procedure in the workplace.

So, what does liturgy mean and how does that apply to leadership?

In a purely religious sense, liturgy is the process of a formal set of events around worship within a church or congregation of people. This can include prayer, singing, raising hands, closing eyes, kneeling, or shouting out phrases as a congregation. It varies across different religions and denominations, but they all apply a specific practice they do exactly the same almost every day of worship.

Liturgy as a leadership practice is about strict discipline to habits and procedures for the benefit of the organization. The job duties aren’t completed just because we are “required to,” or just to fulfill the standard operating procedures (SOP), or just to get the task list done for the day. Liturgical workplace practices can help build value seeking employees along with creating a sense of purpose within the daily procedures completed by the company or organization.