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William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army, was once asked to telegraph his officers using just one word to describe what The Salvation Army is all about. After much thought, the one simple word that he came up with was, “Others.” “It is not about us,” he said, “It’s about others.”
The Salvation Army’s style is rooted in the militaristic spirit that was prevalent in the mid-1800s, when William Booth and his wife Catherine began their work in London, England. This organizational style has proven effective in making the Army a highly disciplined and mobile organization, able to respond quickly and efficiently to human need whenever and wherever it arises. Today, The Salvation Army’s uniform is recognized as a symbol of commitment and a sign of availability and accessibility in times of need or crisis.
For many people, The Salvation Army is most visible between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That’s when its officers, soldiers and volunteers, make music and collect money in red kettles for good works. Few realize, however, that the Army is much, much more than this one effort and is in fact a powerhouse of an organization.
Peter Drucker called The Salvation Army “the most effective organization in the U.S.” He did not say “the most effective nonprofit,” but “the most effective organization.” Quite a compliment from the world’s most preeminent management thinker, especially when you consider that he is comparing The Salvation Army to many world-class corporations! But consider this…The Salvation Army is one of only two organizations that were around when the Dow Jones started in 1884 and still in existence today (the other is General Electric). That is a testament to the strength of purpose of this organization.
For more than 100 years, The Salvation Army has helped the needy, the sick, the downtrodden and the disheartened. The book Leadership Secrets of The Salvation Army, written by the recently-retired United States Commissioner (Robert Watson) captures the principles that have made The Salvation Army so effective in the U.S., Canada and around the world. With its 9,500 centers of operation, $2 billion in annual revenues, and 32 million clients served in every zip code in America, The Salvation Army is the model for doing business with a purpose. As Peter Drucker says, “no one even comes close to it with respect to clarity of mission, ability to innovate, measurable results, dedication and putting money to maximum use.” Let’s consider those five elements, which comprise the Leadership Secrets of The Salvation Army:
- Clarity of Mission – The Salvation Army uses a laser-like focus on evaluating everything it does in terms of its mission of preaching the gospel and meeting human needs without discrimination.
- Ability to Innovate – The Salvation Army’s investment in people gets incredible returns making it as much “venture capitalist” as it is charity.
- Measurable Results – The Army has developed a unique way of setting, monitoring and celebrating the achievement of measurable goals that allows it to demonstrate how it delivered results against its plan.
- Dedication – It’s how The Army accomplishes so much with a relatively small cadre of officers.
- Putting Money to Maximum Use – The Army’s bare skeleton of a national organization makes the most of every resource and ensures that each operational unit is self-sufficient.
Ultimately, Leadership Secrets of The Salvation Army is a guide for being the best at what you do and doing it with a sense of purpose that connects with something larger than yourself…
May their secrets help us, as we shoot for the stars!