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ISSUE NO. 7 –
MAY 2002
One of the best ways to find the root cause of a problem is to ask yourself: "What do I need to do to prevent this problem from EVER happening again?" Even when the upfront cost of a permanent solution is high, getting to the root cause is a much more effective long-term solution than repeatedly fixing the surface symptoms. Addressing the root cause of a recurring problem is one of the best uses of a business or personal coach. Last month's article was a challenge to begin talking about spirituality in the workplace. This month the challenge goes further and asks you to find reasons and ways to actually practice spirituality at work - not just for your own spiritual well-being, but for the long-term financial success of your business. One "root cause" of business and work dissatisfaction that I frequently see is an ignorance about, or an unwillingness to address, spiritual needs. Whether or not it's formally discussed, every organization has a collective spirit that needs to be acknowledged and nurtured for long-term success.
The most successful businesses are definitely spiritual places, even if it's never talked about or recognized as such. For me, a spiritual workplace has a number of unique qualities:
There's no surefire way to tell the spiritual quality of a business by looking at it. You have to engage with an organization in order to know if there's a live, active, respectful spirit operating within. Staff, clients, and vendors - they know if an organization "feels" good to deal with. They know if they can trust and depend on the integrity of an organization. It's not about a great advertising or marketing campaign. It's not even about short-term high-flying success. It's about the long-term relationships that get created and the respect with which people are treated when they interact with anyone at a spiritual workplace. The spirit of a business can be perceived anytime you come in contact with its people. Here's my hypothesis: When I was an undergrad at Stanford University, I remember a friend telling me about his religious and spiritual beliefs. He was absolutely convinced that there was a god that watched over him and all his actions. When I asked him how he knew there was a god, his reply was "Faith." At that time I was shocked that an intelligent friend of mine would accept anything as intangible as god without some personal proof. He hadn't had a near death experience, no out of body travel, no mystical experiences at all. In fact, his definition of faith was belief in something that you had no proof for. At that time, I really couldn't get my head around believing in something without tangible proof. Now I'm here asking you to take a leap of faith with me and believe that long-term business success depends on spiritual practices and principles. There are many reasons you may want to join me in this, but here are just two:
When spiritual masters suggest that we become fully present to whatever we're doing, there's nothing preventing us from doing that at work. In fact, many ancient spiritual practices hold great potential for aiding us in our work. Consider how things would be different at work if:
How would practicing some of these simple (but not necessarily easy) connections between work and spirituality change your daily work interactions and your results? What would it take for this to happen in your company? And what amazing results might you produce? If you've already taken this leap of faith at work, please write and
tell me about your experience.
Make a personal commitment (a sacred one!) to spend 15 minutes a day in spiritual self reflection. You can use the time in any way that helps connect you to the best part of yourself - to your spirit, to your soul. Your goal is to simply notice and to reflect on how you've treated yourself and others during the previous 24 hours. Feel free to do
this sitting in silence, walking in nature, writing in a journal, or
petting your cat or dog. What you do is less important than the intention
you have of reflecting on your day and your actions from a spiritual
perspective. If you take this simple action each day, you'll be amazed
at what you learn and how quickly you evolve. THE INSIDE CONNECTION is a free monthly publication from Kesslin Associates Inc. designed to help you stay focused on what's most important for lasting success. Most of our readers are passionate leaders who understand that they must BE the change they want to see in the world. Kesslin Associates Inc. is a success coaching and training company dedicated to helping you become an extraordinarily effective leader. We help you strengthen your inside connection to values, passion, vision, and soul - so you can deliver extraordinary results with far less effort. For lasting success, we also work with you to discover how you, your work, and the rest of your life can support each other, rather than cause conflict. For more information about our work, visit our website at http://www.kesslin.com You can subscribe or unsubscribe at: PRIVACY: We never share or sell our mailing list. We encourage you to forward this e-zine to anyone you believe would benefit and we welcome your comments and suggestions. You may copy or distribute THE INSIDE CONNECTION as long as you include the complete copyright notice and contact information below. The Inside Connection
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