Ethics is how we behave when we decide we belong together.
Brother David Steindl-Rast
A colleague at the Harvard Business School commented that they are seeing an increasingly compelling yearning among people to integrate the spiritual dimensions of their lives into their work in the world. People are beginning to realize that if they are going to spend a large part of their lives in the office and on the job, they want their time to be rewarding spiritually as well as materially. We have found that one way to honor this yearning and to understand how Spirit manifests in the workplace is to invite a dialogue with people you work with to inquire, “When, or how, do we glimpse Spirit at work?” Responses we have heard include:
▾ In moments of caring, kindness, and compassion.
▾ In moments of deep listening or in shared silence.
▾ In moments of clarity, when we glimpse our place in the “big picture.”
▾ In moments of wonder, when synchronicities converge to confirm our intuition with a “yes!”
▾ In moments of collaboration, when we join forces to create a better world.
▾ In mindful moments, when we are wholeheartedly present.
▾ In moments of deep recognition of each other and of ourselves.
▾ In moments of dialogue, when synergy reveals a glimpse of truth larger than one person can hold.
▾ In moments of forgiveness, when we let go of the past and focus on creating our future.
▾ In moments of commitment, when our love and action blend into one.
▾▾ People are hungry for ways in which to practice spirituality in the workplace without offending their coworkers or causing acrimony. They believe strongly that unless organizations learn to how to harness the “whole person” and the immense spiritual energy that is at the core of everyone, they will not be able to produce world-class products and services.
Sloan Management Review