Wisdom

One word that always stops me is the word wisdom.  I love that word.  It is a key to sage-ing.  "Inspired by the idea that wisdom is the greatest gift one generation can give to another, award-winning photographer and filmmaker Andrew Zuckerman interviewed, photographed and filmed 50 of the world’s great writers, actors, artists, designers, politicians, musicians and religious and business leaders of our time. He posed seven questions to each of his subjects—all over 65 years of age—and their candid responses offer uniquely inspirational and often surprising insight ... Wisdom is above all a timeless gift and a deeply revealing portrait of the common experiences that unite generations."

Since we live in a youth-obsessed culture, it is wonderful that young Zuckerman realizes that the value to be gained from life experiences.

What is Spirituality?

For several years, I have been interested in spirit at work.  But the word spirituality can make some people uncomfortable.  One of the best definitions of the word that I have found comes from the book Sou at Work:  Spirituality Leadership in Organizations by Margaret Benefiel. 

She says that spirituality is "the human spirit, fully engaged."  She believes this includes the "intellectual, emotional, and relational depth of human character, as well as the continuing capability and yearning for personal development and evolution."  While this definition can include religion, but it is not limited to that.  

Benefiel continues to explain that she likes the word "soul" which is the "lived manifestation of spirituality in an individual, a family, or an organization.  It is the way the emotional or relational depth is honored and the way that yearnings for development or evolution are given space."

One of my favorite quotes from her book is this: 

"Profit is to business what breathing is to humans.  Both are essential to survival, but just as breathing is not the purpose of life, so profit is not the purpose of business." 

What does soul at work look like?  How can people bring soul to work?

What Will I Remember

As I have said in previous blog posts, I value Oprah's column on "What I know for sure."  The other day I came across a card that said:  "What will you remember?"  And I liked that thought.  It is one thing to learn things, but it is critical to remember.  So I am going to start a regular blog post on "what I will remember."

For starters, I want to remember how important it is to remember to breathe.  When feeling stressed or trying to get grounded, just start breathing because it reminds us that we are alive.  The breath is a powerful tool.  Sometimes I use the metaphor of a hot air balloon and the breath is what tethers us to the ground.  We need to remember to use the breath to help us in whatever way we need and whenever we need it.

Hopefully, I will remember to blog about what I remember! 

Corporate Chaplains

Tyson Foods and Vermeer Manufacturing are two companies in a growing group that allocate funds to have a corporate chaplain on call.  As of this date, Tyson Foods has 121 chaplains providing services at 240 locations in the US, Mexico, and Canada.  According to Vermeer's Company Chaplain, he is on contract full-time through their employee assistance program.  He is a United Methodist Pastor and certified as a military and corporate chaplain.

He describes his position as "standing beside people in times of crisis such as accidents and deaths and walking through these times with them to provide support and encouragement.  It is important for me to just listen to them"  His role is not to advocate any particular religion, but to "meet people where they are" and to help them use their own belief system to cope with issues.

"We can't leave our spirituality at the door when we come to work.  It can be a great asset in finding meaning and purpose at work, making ethical and moral decisions, and also coping with the problems we encounter." 

As we know, we are living in unprecedented times and people are under all kinds of stress and pressure.  Providing the services of a corporate chaplain can help employees at all levels. 

What I Know For Sure

I subscribe to Oprah's "O" magazine and proud of it.  When I receive each issue, I immediately go to the last page to read her signature piece called "What I Know for Sure."  In the November issue, Oprah tells the story about how she got the idea for such a piece.

"Gene Siskel asked me, 'What do you know for sure?' and I got all flustered and couldn't come us with an answer, and I've never stopped asking myself that question." 

After looking back at every issue, Oprah came up with her all-time top 20 column themes which I am listing below.  The themes are good reminders of what is important in life.

1.  What you put out comes back all the time, no matter what.  (This is Oprah's creed.)

2.  You define your own life.  Don't let other people write your script.

3.  Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present.  Only when you give it power.

4.  When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. (A lesson from Maya Angelou.)

5.  Worrying is wasted time.  Use the same energy for doing something about whatever worries you.

6.  What you believe has more power than what you dream or wish or hope for.  You become what you believe.

7.  If the only prayer you ever say is thank you, that will be enough. (From the German theologian and humanist Meister Eckhart.)

8.  The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.

9.  Failure is a signpost to turn you in another direction.

10. If you make a choice that goes against what everyone else thinks, the world will not fall apart.

11. Trust your instincts.  Intuition doesn't lie.

12. Love yourself and then learn to extent that love to others in every encounter.

13. Let passion drive your profession.

14. Find a way to get paid for doing what you love.  Then every paycheck will be a bonus.

15. Love doesn't hurt.  It feels really good.

16. Every day brings a chance to start over.

17. Being a mother is the hardest job on earth.  Women everywhere must declare it so.

18. Doubt means don't.  Don't move.  Don't answer.  Don't rush forward.

19. When you don't know what to do, get still.  The answer will come.

20. "Trouble don't last always."  (A line from a Negro spiritual, which calls to mind another favorite:  This, too, shall pass.)

So there you have Oprah's list of her top 20 things she knows for sure.  We can all learn from Oprah sharing her wisdom.

Leaders Thinking Outside of the Box

Leaders should create an environment for "spirit" at work, but what does that mean?  It means thinking outside of the box.  One common element is that of reflection.  Many organizations encourage people to find time to reflect by providing quiet spaces to do so.  Some organizations allow people to have "reflection days" to use as they choose as long as the focus is on reflection.  Other organizations bring experts into the workplace to train people in mindful meditation techniques and allow people to practice it during the work day.  I know of one company that created a Workplace Spirituality Resource Manual to provide ideas about how to create a meaningful workplace.

Instead of "sick days," people are encouraged to take personal days to pursue interests to avoid becoming ill.  They reward people for not getting ill.  There are other ways to create this kind of environment, but it requires a different mindset on the part of leaders.  We need to create a place where people want to come to work since much of our lives is spent in the workplace.

What Makes You Smile?

Since I commute to work, I drive a lot.  When I am in a carpool, we usually listen to National Public Radio which I thoroughly enjoy.  But when I am by myself, I often listen to music.  When I hear certain songs, I always smile.  Two of my favorites are:

• It's Friday and I'm in love by The Cure
New Shoes by Paolo Nutini What makes you smile?

Ask Questions. Live Answers.

I found these cards that have questions on them and they got me thinking.  What if I blog about some questions and see if people will respond with their answers.  For example:

• What do you most value?
• What are you most grateful for?
• What will you remember?
• Where are you on your journey?
• What always makes you smile?

There are no "right answers," but everyone has answers.  How would you answer these questions?  Why is it important to ask questions, but make sure you are living the answers? 

Leading When Times Are Tough

This is a tough time to lead because it is a challenging time to make any kind of decision.  But when times are tough for leaders, they are even tougher for everyone else.  What we need are people to help make all of our lives easier--to ease some of the tension in the workplace.

Tyson Foods and Vermeer Manufacturing are two companies in a growing group that allocate funds to have a corporate chaplain on call.  Currently Tyson Foods has 121 chaplains providing services at 240 locations in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.  Vermeer's chaplain, Kevin Glesener, is on contract full-time with the Workplace and Family Life Services which is Vermeer's employee assistance program.  He is a United Methodist Pastor and certified as a military and corporate chaplain.

Why would companies want a chaplain on staff and what does this person do?  According to Glesener, he is on call 24/7 and has performed weddings, funerals, but he is primarily there to provide support and to listen.  He describes his position as "standing beside people in times of crisis such as accidents and deaths and walking through these times with them to provide support and encouragement.  It is important for me to just listen to them."  His role is not to advocate any particular religion, but to "meet people where they are" and to help them use their own belief system to cope. 

Since any type of crisis can negatively affect productivity, providing assistance to people in times of need can provide a positive impact on these outcomes.  Hiring this kind of support is a good leadership decision especially when times are tough. 

Golfing with a Perfect Stranger

I am one of those people who actually reads the free magazines on airplanes that they say you can take with you.  Regularly I tear out pages to take with me.  The idea for this blog post came from the fall issue of Open Air which is USA Today's new active lifestyle magazine.

Open Air Magazine co-sponsored by a PR firm conducted a national survey and found that nearly half of Americans polled said their most cherished time on the weekend is spent "outdoors."  They look forward to exercise and they prefer companions to being alone.

When asked with whom they would like to play a round of golf, the first answer was "friend" followed closely by "spouse/partner."  But what caught my attention was the fact that more than twice as many of us would rather play golf with a total stranger than the boss!  Regardless of our income, age, sex or race, or whether we live in a big city or in the country, Americans were united on the fact that WE DON'T WANT TO GOLF WITH THE BOSS! 

What does that say about the people who are our bosses?  Why do we feel this way?  We often think of golf as another way to get business done, people clearly do not want to golf with the boss.  If you are a boss, what do you make of this?  What would need to be done for people to feel differently?