Spirituality in Business

When most people hear the term "Spirituality in Business" it conjures up for them images of prayer meetings in conference rooms or putting the Piscean symbol on company literature and sales brochures. In effect, the concept does not sit well with a lot of business professionals because the “Old School” definition of “Spirituality” is synonymous with “Religious” and this is not what the term means today.

Religious groups and organizations are in existence for the purpose of relaying a particular spiritual message to its members. Spirituality, on the other hand, is a personal inner feeling about Life. It is the realization that there is a Higher Power or Higher Purpose to Life and this inner realization is their guiding force. Spiritual people tend to want to better themselves as well as the lives of the people around them and seek practices, techniques, and guidance to help them accomplish this desire. They then put these techniques into practice every day of their lives whether at work or not.

The typical business organization that has evolved to date sees itself getting more and more bogged down with the problem of not being able to resolve problems. Teamwork doesn’t work very well or is inefficient at best and managers tend to treat their subordinates like children instead of helping instill a sense of responsibility and allowing the rewarding feeling of personal accomplishment. Spiritual organizations, on the other hand, are full of people seeking personal growth and are much better equipped to deal with problems as they arise because solving these situations effectively requires some level of emotional risk. When egos flare up, and they do in both types of organizations, the spiritually minded employee seeks resolution out of a deeper sense of "being" instead of from a superficial and outward appearance concern. In this way, problems, conflicts, and differences get resolved much more assuredly, brings people closer together in a deeper understanding of one another, and allows the business to function in an even greater capacity than ever before.

Spiritually minded people have higher self-esteem and higher self-respect and are less likely to play the roll of victim. They have a higher degree of self-mastery and seldom entertain feelings of shame, guilt, resentment, anger, or fear. Without these negative emotions in control of their actions spiritually minded people have a natural enthusiasm for life and this energy flows in abundance. They are more creative, more joyful, more insightful, and positively affect everyone they come in contact with. They are better at handling stress, deadlines, and commitments out of a sense of personal challenge rather than the fear of consequences. They view “Team Spirit” as something a lot more than a corporate logo or slogan on a t-shirt. The organization they are involved in is their organization as long as it remains conducive and amenable to their spiritual goals. If this does not happen the organization will lose a very valuable employee.