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The Most Effective Organization in the U.S.: Leadership Secrets of the Salvation Army

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Disclaimer: I was a civilian employee of The Salvation Army (i.e., I am not an officer or a Salvationist) for five-and-a-half years, and I am an academic sociologist by training.

This book is not a cookbook for effective leadership. You can't read this book, apply a couple of techniques, and expect to be as effective as The Salvation Army is at raising funds, running programs, and improving communities.

If you are interested in effective leadership and you're willing to reflect on your practices and, more importantly, the principles underlying your business and/or management style, this is a book you should consider reading. If you're looking for some sort of quick-fix to improve your own management, look elsewhere.

Instead, this book provides several general guidelines with supporting commentary drawn largely from Watson's experience as an officer with (and ultimately the National Commander, or Commissioner, of) The Salvation Army. According to Watson, the central tenet of The Salvation Army's leadership effectiveness is to, "engage the spirit."

The remainder of the book elaborates on this point with other related ideas (i.e., put people in your purpose; embody the brand; lead by listening; spread the responsibility, share the profits; organize to improvise; act with audacity; and make joy count). Watson and Brown don't tell you specifically *how* to do these things, but provide examples of how The Salvation Army and, in some cases, other companies and executives accomplish these things.

To be clear, the book isn't about The Salvation Army itself or its operations. You can gain insight into some of The Army's programs, but they vary too much from one community to the next to get a sense of the massive scope of what they do.

The Salvation Army's role and effectiveness may be the best-kept secret that is out in the open for all to see.

Reading this book is a deeply moving spiritual experience. " . . . [T]he real secret of our success is getting them [those the Salvation Army serves] to accept responsibility for integrating their hearts, their minds, their souls with transcendent purpose."

In grading this book, I was most heavily influenced by how much it added to my knowledge of the Salvation Army (clearly a five star operation) as an organization, and its key leadership and management principles. Like most people, I mainly know about the Salvation Army through tiny glimpses of its work as seen in good neighborhoods (while most of the work takes place in more challenging environments) . . . rather than as a case history in organizational effectiveness. Now, as a result of reading this book, I can see the whole a little and see it as being much more than the sum of the pieces.

Compared to the potential to tell the Salvation Army's story, however, you may find that this book could be improved upon. I certainly did. The examples from businesses, sports, and music as well as the many references to famous management books usually just stole space, in my judgment, from telling more about the Salvation Army. A more useful counterpoint in the book would have been to explain how for-profit organizations fare in performing many of the same tasks that the Salvation Army does.

I'm also not sure that the book totally captured the full lesson of the power of the Salvation Army's mission: Potential and actual volunteers and donors, those who need the Salvation Army's services, the families of those who need the Salvation Army's services, and the communities in which the Salvation Army operates (regardless of religious faith and personal beliefs) find the Salvation Army's purposes of principles to be inspiring and worthy of both active and moral support. In this dimension, the closest I can think of another organization for its mission's powerful appeal is Habitat for Humanity.

As a student of leadership and management, I came away totally awed by thinking about how you provide services over 30 million people with around 5500 executives and managers (about a third of whom are "retired") in so many different, difficult activities: alcohol and drug rehabilitation; rehabilitating prisoners; helping homeless people get back to normal living; community recreation; disaster relief; rebuilding communities after disasters; and providing for the poor. The Salvation Army takes justifiable interest in measuring how effectively it performs these tasks compared to other organizations. The comparisons are usually very favorable. To put this in perspective, did you know that the Salvation Army had its first portable canteen on the scene within 20 minutes after the Oklahoma City bombing? Within minutes, three canteens were there.

Then, I was totally flattened to realize that those who run all of these activities must raise the funds for them locally. Beyond a little start-up money (which must be repaid), each effort must be financially self-sustaining. So when a need arises, the leaders must be serving the need and raising the money at the same time. Somehow, it all comes together.

Commissioner (retired U.S. national commander) Robert Watson describes these successes to the way the Salvation Army's mission engages the spirit of people. "We must always be mission driven." "If a proposal doesn't advance our twofold mission, we're not interested in it."

The mission is:

"The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church."

"Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God."

"Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination."

This mission is based on the injunction to teach in Matthew 28:19 and to serve in Matthew 25:40. These are two inseparable obligations. Yet the book is full of examples of those who are not observers of the Christian religion who support the work of the Salvation Army.

In pursuing the mission, the Salvation Army looks for holistic solutions. As William Booth, the Salvation Army's founder, said, "Take the slums out of people." For homeless people, this may mean providing them a place to sleep, helping them overcome any drinking or drug problems, making clean clothes available, helping them polish up skills to apply for jobs, assist with learning to read better, and rekindling the spirit of wanting to take charge of their lives again. At the same time, their spiritual needs and self-worth need to be nurtured just as much.

The holistic solutions carry over to building its staff. Many are sons and daughters of staff members or families that received aid in the past, as was true of Commissioner Watson. Both the wife and husband share a job. They both wear the uniform, and follow the rules. Assignments are made in ways to be best for the family and the Salvation Army. The children are often enrolled in the same youth programs that serve the poor in the same community.

"God, please make us worthy of such trust!"

My favorite quote from the book is that "you can be forgiven a great deal for honest mistakes committed in the act of trying to save the world."

Does your work reflect your spiritual values? If not, have you considered taking on volunteer work that would? Who knows where it could lead?

As the book's final point reminds us, be sure you are having "the fun of work."

I am not a religious person, so the "Whys" of the SA weren't of great interest to me. However, the "Hows" and "Whats" are: this book is a compelling account of how the SA effectively converts almost every penny it receives into direct, real benefits for the needy and downtrodden. ANY organization could learn much from the SA (and this book) on how to deliver high-quality, low-overhead customer service to its target audience.

If government agencies, other churches, and or even most companies, were run even half as well as the SA, the world would indeed be a much, much better place!

A terrific story, well-told!

Peter Drucker, a management guru if there ever was one, once declared that "the Salvation Army is by far the most effective organization in the U.S." And he added: "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."

As Robert A. Watson, the retired National Commander of The Salvation Army U.S.A., comments in the introduction of this book, "It would never occur to us to make that claim for ourselves. It is not our style." Officers who wear the uniform of the Salvation Army cultivate a modest demeanor, and they don't like to brag about themselves. But on second thought, Mr. Watson and his coauthor do like to brag about their organization's goals and achievements: "We are out to save the world." They are proud of the Army's unblemished track record of dedication and performance. And they want their book to be about "the meaning of life", possibly "one of the most important book you'll ever read."

This last claim seems a bit overstretched--especially from an institution that claims the Holy Bible as the sole authority--, but The Most Effective Organization is probably one of the best management books I have ever read--and this includes the essays of Peter Drucker, which I often find repetitive and merely stating the obvious. Here readers won't find "the eight habits of successful spiritual enterprises" or "the eight-fold path to organizational happiness." There aren't even eight equally weighted principles. As the authors underscore, there is really one Big Idea: "Engage the Spirit". Everything stems from this basic imperative. But this being a management book, there is indeed a list of eight injunctions or bottom-line principles connected with the Big Idea.

Each chapter therefore expands on a simple message--"Embody the Brand", "Lead by Listening", etc.--illustrated through excerpts from the Salvation Army's history, anecdotes from Mr. Watson's own experience as an officer, inspirational stories from prominent business leaders, short quotes from some of the most influential management scholars, and lessons drawn from the world of professional sport and entertainment. Being the chief officer of the U.S. organization gave the main author access to many chief executives and chairpersons of large corporations, who devoted time and energy sitting on the Army's National Advisory Board and helping it shape its strategic directions. The authors also took the best they could from management books, distillating their teachings into key messages and practical examples.

What makes The Salvation Army different is its connection with the transcendental. "Our advantage--and the advantage other organizations can acquire--is a shared conviction that our purpose is sacred. We're together in the belief that our organization exists only to help people realign themselves with God and to serve one another. And we're all in agreement that each of our programs must be measured against that purpose." The Army's mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to serve people in need without discrimination. "When we say we are here to save and to serve, we mean that as our promise, as what we intend to be held accountable for. All of our programs--our products--grow from that sense of mission, and we measure their success against it."

"From the beginning, because of our double mission, The Salvation Army has had to be doubly accountable. To those who may not share Salvationists' religious faith, the Army must demonstrate that, in putting its spiritual purpose at the forefront, it actually strengthens attention to clients' total welfare--in body, mind and soul. To those driven by religious faith, the Army must show that it's not distracted by social service from its evangelical purpose. The Army must always prove its promise to maintain "heart to God, hand to man.""

The Salvation Army has no qualms about being a religious organization. "Yes, we are an evangelical church. Our officers are ordained ministers. Our twofold mission is to serve others and to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we cannot be who we are if we deny our religious orientation." So they are ready to draw a line and to refuse government subsidies if they come with too many strings attached that would make them lose their identity. As Peter Drucker already noted, ""Government as a paymaster is a very corrupting paymaster because they think that because they're paying the piper, they can call the tunes."

The one thing that I found missing in this book is how the twin missions of evangelical preaching and social service connect to each other in the name of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures has many messages to offer to managers, and it can be a great source of inspiration for people dealing with business issues. And yet there are only two or three quotes from the Bible, brought forth in the introduction and summing up the Salvation Army's theology of service. One is "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." (Matthew 28:19, KJV). The other is from the parable of the Good Samaritan: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40, KJV). These are words to remember.

"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." Peter Drucker, preeminent management thinker.
"This book, describing the leadership skills of the Salvation Army, clearly explains why The Salvation Army is one of our most trusted, successful, and cost effective organizations whose mission is to help people. These same principles apply to all businesses and to our everyday lives." H. Ross Perot
Table of Contents:
The "Business" of the Salvation Army
Engage the Spirit
Put people in Your Purpose
Embody the Brand
Lead by Listening
Spread the Responsibility, Share the Profits
Organize to Improvise
Act With Audicity
Make Joy Count

In my consulting practice--and in my management workshops--I sometimes hear the protest, "But you don't understand! We're just a small ministry. We couldn't possibly implement the best practices of those much larger organizations."

Hopefully, my response is gracious--but direct. "Is God leading you to be small for the next 10 years? Is your mission about reaching and serving more people, or less people? Do you need a workshop on how to stay small or how to shrink further? Probably not! So what should you do?"

I recommend that organizations create a rolling three-year strategic plan. Build an annual planning cycle that ruthlessly evaluates the last year and then adds one more year onto the rolling three-year forecast. And...face the growth question with courage, time-on-your-knees and outside wisdom. Part of that outside wisdom is looking at the big boys. How did they grow? How do they innovate? How do they build in capacity and sustainability?

One excellent and very unique model is The Salvation Army, the second largest nonprofit charity in the United States (according to the annual Philanthropy 400 list published by the "Chronicle of Philanthropy"). According to their 2009 annual report (now published only online along with a video report), they spent $3.05 billion serving people in 2008. Wow.

They are evangelical Christian in beliefs--yet coalesce wider public involvement and support in meeting human needs. Their crystal clear mission statement (on their website home page) is unequivocal: "The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination."

Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, called The Salvation Army "the most effective organization in the U.S." He added, "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."

Hmmm. They might be worth studying. So let me commend to you this excellent book on "leadership secrets of The Salvation Army." Consider using this book (published in 2001--but maybe even more relevant today) at your next four or five weekly staff meetings. Delegate the reading and reporting on these fascinating chapters to your direct reports:
* The "Business" of The Salvation Army
* Engage the Spirit
* Put People in Your Purpose
* Embody the Brand
* Lead by Listening
* Spread the Responsibility, Share the Profits
* Organize to Improve
* Act with Audacity
* Make Joy Count

Co-author Robert A. Watson served 44 years as a commissioned officer in The Salvation Army, four of those as the national commander, the highest-ranking officer in the U.S. This is no puff piece--it's an insider's insight on a remarkable organization and very much worth the read.

He writes, "To grow from a start-up to a much larger enterprise, to thrive over the long term without losing either mission focus or creative energy, requires skills that aren't nearly so apparent or crucial when an organization launches. In fact they may be skills that are quite the opposite of those required to get off the ground."

Stay small, shrink or grow? This book will help you grow.

This is actually an interesting book. It tells the reader how the Salvation Army is an effective orgainzation. I bought this book for a college management class assignment on leadership and found the book to be very helpful.