Manifesto: One Bold Step to Lead Your Team to Higher Levels

by Dave Kahle

Are you looking for a way to unite your team, to unleash their potential, to shape your culture and to move your business or department up to a higher level of performance? Consider adopting a manifesto.

What’s a manifesto?

According to Merriam-Webster, a manifesto is: a written statement that describes the policies, goals, and opinions of a person or group; a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer. In practical terms, a manifesto is a statement – a declaration — of principles and beliefs that often lay the foundation for the actions which proceed from it.  

Probably the most well-know is the Declaration of Independence, which begins with these words:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,…

     A manifesto is often the output of some deep thought and lots of discussion, so the process of creating a manifesto is time-consuming, and often involves more than one person. The Declaration of Independence is a good example. While it was written by one person –Thomas Jefferson —  he worked with a small team and captured, combined and clarified the thoughts of the assembly.

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A manifesto deals with important issues and is not trivial.  In the case of the Declaration of Independence, it was laying the foundation for the actions of an entire nation. In our times, a manifesto often deals with the actions of a company, an organization, or the career of an individual. These are big issues worthy of careful consideration.

     A manifesto claims its power and credibility as emanating from a higher source. Our Declaration states, for example: that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, So, the Declaration of Independence cites God as the source of the truths which are then delineated.   Manifestos in our age can gather additional power by connecting to truths which are ultimately Biblical in origin.

     A manifesto is not made to be hidden.  Because it is a declaration, it is designed to be shared with those to whom it is declaring. A business manifesto, for example, is designed to declare certain principles and beliefs to its employees, customers and vendors. It is best displayed wherever those people would see it:  On the website, social media sites, hanging in the lunchroom, in a prominent place in the lobby, etc.

     Finally, a manifesto appeals to the higher and best instincts of those to whom it refers.  Those who commit to a manifesto aspire to principals and beliefs that make them better people and that raise an organization out of the muddle... READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE