Spiritual
Books • Spiritual Music • Spiritual Articles • Spiritual Resources
|
"Spirit
as Business Strategy" I swallowed hard and picked up the phone. This was not going to be easy for me. I was about to "fire" my most lucrative client on the basis of my unwillingness to work with a company which did not seem committed to the process it had hired me to manage. Initially, I had refused the assignment to design and implement this company's strategic branding program and trademark policies, but the company's executives called several times to tell me how much in need of my services they found themselves. Finally, I agreed. At my first meeting with executives, which took several hours, I described the company's present branding landscape and status as it had been communicated to me by staff, laid out a plan to determine what information we needed to obtain and what issues needed to be decided upon before proceeding to the next milestone, and painted a general picture of what the promised land would look like when we got there, although its specifics were yet to be determined. Everyone was in agreement as to the goals, the approach, and the timeline. Each executive committed full support to the project because it was seen as a necessary step to the future success of the company. Without going into detail, suffice it to say that at every juncture since those commitments were made seven months ago, other issues, albeit important ones, have taken precedence over this project. As a consequence, the process had lost both focus and momentum. The feeling of urgency and the sense of common mission were gone. For weeks my inner guidance had been telling me this was not acceptable. Success could not and would not come in circumstances in which I cared more about the company's project than did any of its executives. On the other hand, my strategic mind kept presenting pictures of the money to be made by my continuing to do my best to produce results. This was particularly so in a company in which results were going to take longer, prove harder to produce, and require more effort than anyone had originally anticipated. "If you are doing your best but encountering resistance so that you have to work harder and longer, you're entitled to higher fees, right?" strategic mind argued quite logically. Logically, yes. Spiritually, no. Since leaving corporate America to start The Spirit Employed Company with its mission to "inspire, encourage, and model authenticity in the workplace," I have found myself regularly faced with choosing between operating my business on spiritual principles first and foremost or making exclusive use of what is called in psychospiritual circles the "strategic mind." It is worth noting that the strategic mind is particularly adept at developing programs for generating money and income. In
the comfort of the vacuum in which such options will sometimes appear
to me, the choice seems clear: choose spirit. Always. Unfortunately, I
do not live nor operate in a vacuum, and I must make this decision more
and more frequently in the context of real-life situations in which choosing
to follow inner guidance appears like economic or occupational suicide.
For me, opting for spiritual guidance above all else often involves telling
an uncomfortable truth to some client that seems likely to result in the
loss of his or her business. It can also appear as a decision on my part
to turn down a lucrative assignment. No matter how many times I have done
this, and no matter how many times it has worked out for the best, which
seems to be always, in the crucible at the point of decision I always
experience the same feeling-and that feeling is fear. And fear is a very
powerful emotion. Like
pop quizzes from some mad professor, opportunities to make that choice
come at me with increasing frequency, sometimes several times each week.
Indeed, the number of such challenges seems in direct proportion to the
energy with which I assert my commitment to operate from spiritual principles
in my business life. Nor
am I alone in this. At nearly every conference on the "spirit at
work," "business and consciousness," "spiritual approaches
to business," and the like-all gatherings of like-minded people-this
question has been discussed and argued in the manner of the great theological
issues of the ages. Most simply stated, that question is "How do
we conduct business from a place of spiritual guidance and financially
succeed when financial success traditionally belongs in the realm of strategic
mind?" In other words, "Do we have to be poor to be spiritual?" Please
don't misinterpret the question. None of those pressing for the paying
of attention to spiritual guidance is suggesting that strategic mind has
no place in business. It has a big role to play: there are product development
decisions to be made, target audience research data to interpret, marketing
plans to develop, financial histories and forecasts to decipher, and a
myriad of other duties and responsibilities which demand use of that portion
of our intellects. The question is whether, within the context of business,
we are also going to engage that intuitive, creative, insightful, understanding,
and compassionate side of ourselves most of us know we have. Many refer
to these elements within us collectively as "spirit" or "soul"
or "inner guidance." Also, when we choose to listen to this
inner guidance and find there is conflict between the advice of spirit
and the advice of strategic mind, which do we follow? When
the question is viewed from the perspective of the commitment I have made
to "inspire, encourage, and model personal authenticity in the workplace,"
I see the choice has already been made by me. Part of my definition of
"personal authenticity" includes listening to and following
inner guidance with the knowledge and trust that such action will ultimately
result in the greatest good for all - including me - even when it may
look otherwise along the way. It
is no coincidence that the times when I am best serving my clients are
also the times when I experience the most prosperity and the greatest
abundance. And almost by accident I've discovered that I serve my clients
best when I determine what actions are right for me and then act on those.
Discovering "what actions are right for me" is the natural result
of asking for, listening to, and implementing guidance from spirit. Back
to the telephone. My contact at the company listens politely as I tell
her my truth, uncomfortable as it is. To my surprise, she agrees with
my assessment, my hypothesis as to the underlying causes, and my prognosis
that success cannot be achieved if things do not change. Nevertheless,
initially, she asks me to stick with it. I decline. She
thanks me for my frank and direct talk, and asks if I will assist her
in explaining my decision to the other executives as well as clearly identifying
to them what they need to do before the project can continue. This I am
willing to do, knowing that the seeds of success for both the company
and myself are in those simple acts. If
they do the work that needs to be done, I will almost certainly choose
to return as a result, and we can't help but succeed. If they do not choose
to do what needs to be done, some other opportunity will present itself
to me that will make me glad that I no longer have this responsibility. Either way I see increased prosperity on the horizon because I am allowing Spirit to be in charge of my life, and that includes my business life. ------------------------------------------- |