MESSAGE BOARD: Vol.3 Issue 4 April 2010

HELLO and welcome to the April edition of your Message Board. This month we continue discussing the human spirit at work, in context with mission or vision statements. Or I should say, in context with our penchant to adopt pre-defined stances which blind us to the possibilities inherent to a collective and compelling idea. I hope you find it food for thought...

I thank you for your continued support. If you missed previous Message Boards, you can retrieve them from the Archive.

Read on, and enjoy this issue...



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IN THIS ISSUE

News and Events
The Message Board Feature Article
We Are What We Do
Subscriber Information
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NEWS AND EVENTS

Registrations for our May Snapshot are now open. As always, small groups work best, so if you would like to bring a friend or a group of friends, I urge you to book as soon as possible. To read more, just click the link below.

• Saturday 15 May 2010: LIVING RESILIENCE

DATES TO WATCH:

1. 19 June 2010
2. 31 July 2010

THE MESSAGE BOARD FEATURE ARTICLE

THE HUMAN SPIRIT AT WORK Pt.4:
the Life and Death of a Mission or Cause

Let's start with a story that is set in the 12th Century, with a young philosopher investigating the nature of human work.

One of the difficulties in speaking about spirituality in the workplace is that each of us has a pre-defined framework (a set of thoughts, assumptions, opinions, attitudes, judgments, etc. that we work from) and this can prevent us from a discussion and reflection of it from a fresh perspective. Of course, this is true for anything we read, and particularly true if we hold the framework tightly and therefore innocently agree or disagree with the articulation or commentary without noticing we already have our position. You might say, the framework conspires against our capacity to see a new position or idea.

Boy! Don't we all experience this at one time or another? But acknowledging this phenomenon provides an opportunity to move, beyond the trap of being stuck to being unstuck, in our position. We free ourselves to a fresh new perspective. In short, as we discussed in the previous articles, we become conscious of the dynamics within us.

For instance, our March article explored the use of mission or vision statements in the corporate setting - statements which clearly articulate a company's purpose for existence (beyond profit); in essence seeking the answers to "Why am I here?" "Where am I going?" and "Who wants to travel with me?" This type of aspirational motivation is common (see Built to Last by Jim Collins & Jerry I. Porras).

In the Australian business arena, such idealism is often viewed with scepticism - an indication perhaps of a gradually shifting but still persistent Aussie culture or mindset which suggests scant regard for idealism. When we do business, we seem to prefer to get down and dirty and leave lofty sounding theories to someone else!

A Unified Spiritual Source

Many of us will have experienced the business mindset in countries like China - the culture and methodology to create business quite distinct from that of the US and Australia. That said, there is a commonality, a compelling thought behind everything we set out to do which requires an inner spirituality - an acknowledgement of our ability to create ideas, visions and beliefs. Moreover, this spiritual faculty works in partnership with a second spiritual ability - Consciousness (self-awareness). Together, they create the best and the worst of companies. The best of the best (irrespective of the cultural setting) must have clarity of mind, sound judgment, relevant insight, practical use of intelligence, etc. And again, this is sourced via a universal spiritual potential grounded in LIFE itself. Much has been said about entrepreneurs, and their seemingly special ability to free themselves from the limited views that hold many others back. As admired as that ability is, the ability to see 'outside the box' is simply an internal process - a freedom of mind and a diligent awareness, an openness to and consciousness of; the possibility of new opportunities.

The Life and Death of a Vision or Cause

"Freethinking individuals in society have always sought to change things by using the power of thought; not action. They know that thought produces action." (author unknown).

In that quotation we clearly observe, through the author, the power of the inner world of thought, consciousness; and the resultant behavioural change. We can articulate a well-crafted vision or mission statement. We can have everyone involved and highly engaged in the process, through development, implementation and well communicated strategies.

Yet, when all is finally said and done, it comes down to how well people align their behaviour with the mission. And behaviour has everything to do with 'what I think' via attitudes, judgements, values, beliefs, etc. All of that will fuel behaviour. Exceptional businesses are of 'one mind' - a collective alignment with a living vision which is fuelled via the free will of each person to see the power of a compelling idea. The reverse is true: where force, duress or ignorance (of our powerful spiritual inner workings) is the norm; there will be to a greater or lesser degree confusion, self-interest (ego), mistrust and abuse - the net affect of which will be the death of the Vision or Cause.

See you next month as the reflections continue...

Comments on this article? I'd love to hear from you
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WE ARE WHAT WE DO

"Freethinking individuals in society have always sought to change things by using the power of thought; not action. They know that thought produces action."

Intuitively, most of us appreciate and acknowledge the power of thinking to influence our behaviour. Many of us also realise that we are subject to unconscious thoughts that significantly impact our behaviour. So much so that these behaviours become an automatic reaction, not a response, to the circumstances that come our way. Naturally, our minds gravitate to what; what is happening here? This what leads quickly to why is this happening to me? Of course to complete the cycle we often go to how; how can I fix or change this situation? This natural cycle of questions often spirals into a never-ending pattern of confusion, and this is particularly true when our mental resources are most vulnerable. Who of us have not been driven to desperation by this cycle of self-examination?

Imagine, you are in the company of a friend who is distressed, under-going this 'mental torture'. "Jack, just calm down for a moment ..." both of us naturally knowing that calmness is the antidote to distress. Are you thinking it's not so easy as that? It is, really, if we remember our natural ability to let go of all the thinking (the what's, why's and how's) and be open to our whole self. Our whole selves are not a series of compelling thoughts which need compelling answers.

Be your own best friend and NOTICE when you are moving away from your calmness. My suggestion? Reclaim it, and soak in the calmness for longer than is required.

Until next time... David

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