A Spiritual Environment in the workplace begins with each of us.  As business owners and executives, the beliefs, attitudes and values we hold about our own work and it's meaning and purpose, shape the culture we create for our organization.  On May 5 groundbreaking author Tom Zender is our guest for a teleseminar Improve Profits/Enrich Lives:  The Economic Power of a Spiriual Work Environment.  I hope you can join us. 

Zender is a business executive and CEO Emeritus of Unity Church and author of God Goes to Work, New Thought Paths to Prosperity and Profits. He says transforming our organizations begins with discovering the Spiritual Assets we have within ourselves.  Let's look at that idea more deeply as they pertain to who we are and what we bring to our work.

Kahlil Gibran said, “Work is love made visible.”  

We all want to know that what we do matters, that we make a difference in someone’s life or business by making it easier, more productive, more fun, more successful.   But in this fast paced world, some days it’s easy to forget why we went into business, or selected the profession we are in. So I have developed a four-step Purpose Plan.

Step1.  Remember that true meaning comes from within. 

It isn’t based on any external feedback or dependant upon what’s going on at the worksite.  Stay focused on your values and you can remain positive regardless of what is happening around you.   

Henry Ward Beecher said “ No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger.  It is the heart that makes a man rich.  He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.” 

When we seek our meaning and reinforcement from outside ourselves, we will lose sight of what we are called to do, our purpose for being in business.  

 Step 2. Take personal responsibility for your experience of life as work.   

No one can “make” you feel upset or unappreciated.  But, you can allow it.  It’s up to you to acknowledge your own worth and importance and to reframe every experience as an opportunity for something greater in your life. This includes trusting your internal wisdom and going to a higher level of awareness for your own answers. 

I once had a housekeeper who did wonderful little things that were technically outside the scope of most cleaning services.  She would wash out the produce drawer in the refrigerator, pick flowers and put them in a vase on the table, leave a cheerful note on the counter.  One day I asked her why she did this and she replied, “I just think about what I would want if this were my house.”  

Einstein put it this way: “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” So ask yourself, “How am I showing up at work?  How am I taking responsibility for my experience of it?” 

3.  Change your perception of your work from “just a job” to a way to make a contribution to your organization and its customers.   

Shift your attention from “What’s in it for me?” to “How can I serve others by giving my gifts and talents through my work?” We each have our unique contribution to make to the world.   

Martha Graham said, “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique.” 

If you are the owner or CEO, your contribution is pretty visible.  You have created an organization and are leading it to greatness, even though some days it’s lonely at the top! 

How can you as the leader, recognize and honor the contribution of each person in your company or work group?  Do you have an incentive program, a peer-to peer traveling trophy?  When things are running smoothly, do you take the time to recognize those who are making it happen?    

Often a word of praise is more priceless than anything else you can say or do. Remember, we affect others without even being aware of the power of our presence. 

Step 4.  Change your thinking and let go of old beliefs that no longer serve you. 

For you to truly transform the experience of spiritual and meaningful contribution on the job, you need to release outdated organizational paradigms and individual beliefs about what’s possible and what matters. 

I have a painting in my office that shows a mountain goat in mid air, jumping from one peak to another across a deep crevasse.  The painting is titled “Leap of Faith”. 

In personal transformation it means letting go of one reality to embrace another. It may seem uncomfortable to adopt a new idea or belief, but the reward is a shift in how you view the world and the results you can produce.  You have to trust that your meaning and purpose are driven by a higher wisdom and that life will “catch you” when you take the “leap” to follow your dreams.     

In summary, spiritual meaning and purpose is an “inside” job, which is within your control regardless of external circumstances! 

Suggested Action Steps:

1.    Make a list of all the wonderful ways you are contributing to the world, your organization, your employees and your customers.

2.    Make a list of all the activities, events, people or tasks that drain you of your energy and creativity, and cause you to question your purpose.  Look for solutions to transform, modify or avoid those situations!

3.    Create an acknowledgment and reward system for yourself just because you’re you!

4.    Develop a plan to acknowledge and praise those around you: employees, co-workers, your family and even those vendors who make your life easier, safer, more profitable or more joyful.

Until Next Time,

Marla