Uncovering Soul in the Workplace
by Eileen McDargh
The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported "soul is in". In
a headline calling it "the buzzword of the '90s" a front-page story
reported that some 322 citations for the word appear in the current
edition of Books in Print. That's nearly four times the number in
1990.
Having been asked by corporate executives to address soul and spirit
at a recent leadership forum, I decided it was time to tackle the
topic in writing. What prompts the use of this term? What do we
make of it? Does this appear to be calling for a spiritual revival
across the world of business?
Here's an analysis:
Times of upheaval, great change, and chaos call for a re-assessment
of values. With a globalized, competitive economy and job security
now a once-upon-a-time thing, is it any wonder that we all seek
a deeper meaning to what we do and why we do it. As my Canadian
colleague Ian Percy describes it, our workplaces are experiencing
a "great shuddering".
Workers are no longer willing to rent themselves to a job to survive
to the weekend. Rather, this term "soul" implies looking for a deeper
purpose behind work other than just gaining a paycheck. It also
implies that people want to be identified as whole individuals with
brains, hearts, AND souls waiting to be opened within the workplace.
Note the phrase "waiting to be opened". It carries the same connotation
as the first word in this article's headline, "uncovering". Soul/spirit
has always been here. Wise leaders have known how to access it,
for themselves first, and then for others. But it goes against conventional
wisdom because it cannot be tracked, measured, benchmarked, or in
anyway quantified. No audit can place it on the balance sheet but
its impact can be felt on the bottom line.
Soul/spirit can only be visible in context. Like natural gas which
cannot be seen until it is lit, soul burns bright when it's flush
with enthusiasm and excitement, when it is being listened to deeply
by people who matter most. Soul blossoms when given opportunity
for meaningful contribution, innovation, and learning. It retreats
in environments where trust is absent, where politics take precedence
over performance, where positional privilege takes most of the gain
and little of the pain connected with restructuring.
Uncovering soul, therefore, means examining both behaviors and systems
within an organization. Is there congruency between what is said
and what is practiced? Are people invited to participate and then
ignored when they do? Does the organization preach empowerment but
then require multiple sign-offs before action takes place? Do managers
claim to have an open-door policy but then respond in anger when
they hear something they don't like? These are just some of the
questions which, when honestly answered, can indicate if there's
breathing space for the soul.
Engaging the human spirit is the softer side of business. But without
the "software" of soul/spirit, you'll never truly engage the mindware.
And that's what ultimately creates the competitive edge for the
future.
© Eileen McDargh, McDargh Communications. All rights reserved. You may reprint this article so long as it remains intact with the byline and if all links are made live.
Since 1980, Hall of Fame speaker Eileen McDargh has helped Fortune 100 companies as well as individuals create connections that count and conversations that matter. Her latest book is Gifts from the Mountain-Simple Truths for Life's Complexities. Her other books include Talk Ain't
Cheap...It's Priceless and Work for a Living and Still Be Free to Live, one of the first books to address the notion of balance and authentic work. A 59 year-old grandmother, she recently returned from climbing among the highest mountains in the world. Find out more about this compelling
and effective professional speaker and join her free newsletter by visiting http://www.EileenMcDargh.com.
McDargh
Communications
(949) 496-8640
Eileen@EileenMcDargh.com
www.EileenMcDargh.com
© 2008 McDargh Communications, All rights
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