Take Your Soul Back to Work:
Recovering Your Spirit in the
Workplace
"The job crisis is
something deeper: a crisis in our relationship to work and the challenge put to
our species to reinvent it…Work comes from the inside out; work is the
expression of our soul, our inner being. It is unique to the individual; it is
creative." — Matthew Fox, The Reinvention of Work
What
is it you desire most from work?
Most
people are not in it just for the money.
- They are looking for the opportunity to be creative,
- To make a contribution,
- And to be recognized and appreciated.
When
employees are recognized and treated as essential ingredients for meeting the
business' goals, then the workplace becomes more than just a paycheck.
Excitement and passion are released with increased effectiveness and
productivity closely following. This is managing with spirituality in the
workplace -- it makes the difference!
Let's
briefly look at five steps to build a foundation for spirit-based management that
can maximize your interactions with co-workers, clients, and even personal
relationships.
1.
Define, and Follow your Principles and Ethics. Identify what is
"right action" and then do it. Being ethical builds trust and
confidence. People prefer to work with someone they can trust.
2.
Reflect Respect and Care. Let your actions show respect for the person. Ask questions and listen
to the responses. Sincerely acknowledge and appreciate others. Just a few
minutes of "non-business" talk can offer a bridge to understanding
and increased cooperation.
3.
Practice Deep Heart Communication. Secrets cause a loss of trust and low morale. It is
important to be open with information whether good or bad. Learn to speak the
truth, in a positive way. Use a variety of ways to communicate - meetings,
memos, posters, surveys, suggestion boxes, open door policy, etc. The important fact to remember is that open
hearted communication establishes trust.
4.
Empower Others. The old "command and
control" management models no longer work. No one person has the answer.
Associates have incredible untapped talents that can contribute to the health
and wealth of the business. Encourage creativity, visualize others points of
view, encourage problem solving, and trust them to succeed. And at the end of
the day -- give credit where credit is due.
There is always enough recognition and praise to go around!
5.
Build Teamwork. Develop spirit-based team management when possible. Have confidence in
your associates. Release the abundance of talent within your own group, and be
ready for the power of the passionate team player in the company's journey
toward reaching and exceeding their goals.
Albert
Einstein said "The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved
by the level of thinking that created them."
We have to think in new ways if we are to survive in the quantum soup that is today's marketplace. There is no possible way that we can keep up with all of the information that is today available to us.
The
only way we will not just survive - but thrive - is to enlist our total self -
and that is to get in alignment with our Spirit.
As we continue into this new
millennium, with the changes being wrought in the global marketplace, we need
to refocus a bit on our individual role in manifesting that change. There is no
greater tool for doing that than developing our own sense of self, and our
ability to listen "within." No methodology on taking your Spirit into
the workplace can begin without discussing meditation. And no authentic sense
of self or ability to be a creative problem-solver can be developed without
developing the ability to listen to "the small, still voice." It is
only by learning to listen to our Souls that we can truly learn what our work is,
what our part of the Great Plan for the planet and for Humanity encompasses,
and how we are to manifest that plan in the outer world.
If we are to co-create the next
generation of spiritual principles, then we need to have a reality check. I
believe that, with the onset of the Age of Aquarius, we will see the next World
Teacher emerge out of the world of finance and business. World Teachers tend to
appear in the places where the most abuse of power is occurring. It is a
reality check to acknowledge that the people and the planet itself are the rich
sources of resources – not profit, money and power, which have become the
mantras of most businesses.
The first essential step to
stopping the abuse is to learn to listen to the rich knowing we can access
within ourselves – to learn how to use our minds in new ways, and create new
solutions to current problems.
As we learn to listen within,
there are several different approaches we may take in meditation practice.
Let’s review the different types of meditation techniques, and how they relate
to our work lives.
Passive Meditation[i]: This type of meditation is only a first step. It
incorporates deep relaxation, concentration and directing the life force. It
involves a relaxed openness, with a gentle expansion toward complete peace and
a sense of well being, without much effort – such as using guided
visualizations. This work is the base upon which the higher forms of meditation
can be built.
Active Meditation[ii]: Active meditation focuses energies for a
breakthrough of understanding and knowing. It includes body, mind, and
experiential activities with a focus on increased awareness of the world and
our participation in it. Here we begin to do the important work of developing
the mental body, using it to build new thought forms.
Remember, that actions follow
thoughts. Thoughts are the first step in the manifesting process. What we focus
on, we magnetize to ourselves. Through the right use of meditation, we begin to
become co-creators with Divine Mind, and to become a focus point of the next
part of the plan that is continuing to unfold.
In the business world, we may
use this type of meditation most effectively as we learn to work as co-creators
in developing new ways of doing business that are not abusive to the physical
body of the planet, nor toxic to humanity’s emotional body.
Specific Purpose/ Service[iii]: These types of meditations vary greatly, and can be
considered as an act of service when performed regularly; healing techniques,
directing energy to others, opening the heart center, visualizing world peace,
healing the planet, linking coworkers, or other experiential work becomes the
keynote here. This type of meditation goes hand-in-hand with active meditation,
as we work together to bring about change in the world. Your intention and
motivation are key during this process, and it is important to hold an attitude
of unconditional love within your mind. We must learn to "thinketh in the
heart," connecting the energy centers of the mind and heart, for it has
been taught that "heart without mind may be foolish, and mind without
heart may be cruel." We would ask to be wise ones in the proper use of our
mental focus.
Of all the types of
meditation, active, or seed thought meditation, is the most important if we are
to step forward into our next evolutionary cycle. We are in the process of
building our brain muscles to be stronger, so that we may manifest a physical
vehicle for Higher Mind. It is through conscious effort of focusing and intent
that this will be done through proper use of meditation.
We must remember that we are
in the midst of evolving into a new human potentiality – the mind. If we are
indeed to be a co-creator of our workplaces, and our world, then we must begin
with our individual responsibility (or respond-ability) – first, by building
the mind through right meditation, and second, by living as soul-infused
personalities. I invite you to become the co-creator that you already are, by
right focus and right intent. To look beyond the immediate bottom line of this
quarter’s ledger sheet to the broader canvas of the future.
Every
day you make a decision whether to bring your spirit to work or not.
You
decide if you want to be passionate about your work or if you want to do just
"a day's work for a day's pay".
Your
spirit makes the difference. An exciting spirit can be "infectious"
and spread throughout your place of work.
Is
yours worth catching?
