Chapter 4: Spirituality and Leadership

 

As long as we continue this focus on doing and, related to it, continue to develop new leadership skills and behaviors to help us do more effectively, without a corresponding focus on understanding the self who is  involved in the leadership activities, we can use our expanded skill set as well as models and techniques we learn to more effectively hide the self and falsely portray it to others.  We gain facility in wearing a mask and playing the game.  We legitimize our schizophrenia.  We experience spiritual dis-ease. 

                                                                                                (Moxley 2000: 108)

 

Overview

            This chapter examines the connection between spirituality and leadership.  It begins with understanding the importance of self-awareness, particularly of your mission or purpose in life and of your core values.  We then look at the way leaders need to discover and claim their gifts.  When you have a clear sense of what your calling is, you are in a very powerful position to use your gifts and to use them in service of something greater than yourself.  This is Servant Leadership.  Servant Leadership was one of the first ideas in this newly emerging field of spirituality in the workplace.  We also briefly examine some of the directions that the field of leadership will be taking in the future, as theorists and practitioners are becoming aware of the importance of spirituality.  Finally, we take a look at the global nature of this field of leadership and spirituality.

 

The First Principle of Leadership

            Above the Delphi Oracle in Greece are printed the words, “Know Thyself.”  This is the first principle of Leadership.  You must know who you are, what your purpose in life is, what your values are, and what your strengths and weaknesses are, if you are to fully utilize your capabilities as a leader.  These are also the tasks of spiritual development, and they take a lifetime.  We never truly “arrive,” but the journey is the reward.  This was discussed briefly as one of the spiritual principles in Chapter 2 in the section on “Integrity and Authenticity.”

            This chapter addresses what it means to integrate your spirituality and your leadership through self-reflection and self-awareness. The result of learning to be self-reflective according to Russ Moxley moxley@leaders.ccl.org and William Miller wmillergcc@yahoo.com , is a spiritual power that can be used to help transform others and transform your organization.

            To begin, you are encouraged to do this “Sentence Completion Exercise.”  This is a very simple but instructive exercise in self-awareness.  (If you find it useful, you can use it with your employees, your team members, your clients, and even your significant other).  We will start the exercise here and continue it later.  Take 20 index cards, or 20 scraps of paper and write “I am _________________________________” on each one.  When you have completed that, go back in and fill in the blanks with anything that comes to mind. 

 

What lies before us and what lies behind us

Are small matters compared to

What lies within us.

And when we bring what is within

Out into the world,

Miracles happen.

 

 

Values and Virtues

            The first step in self-awareness is understanding your core values and making the commitment to live in alignment with these values.  Jack Gibb, http://members.home.net/developtrust/index.html, author of Trust:  A new view of personal and organizational development, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/089615002X/002-4915969-9590626, uses the term “proximo-distality” to describe an important spiritual principle of personal and organizational change.  The word “proximo” translates as “near” and “distality” translates as “distance.”  Proximo-distality basically means that “All change begins within and expands outward.”  Richard Barrett richard@corptools.com, of Richard Barrett and Associates http://www.corptools.com/ whose work is described in Chapter 6, says that organizational transformation cannot take place without individual transformation.  Jim Stuart JStuart902@aol.com, of The Leadership Circle, http://www.theleadershipcircle.com/keys.html#assumptions says, “The evolution of the individual and the organization are interdependent. But, the organizational system cannot function at a higher stage of development than the consciousness of the leadership. When people talk about organizational change, they're really talking about your ability to lead.”  Jim Stuart’s work with The Leadership Circle will be described in Chapter 5.

 

            Now go back to your 20 index cards and choose the top 10 cards that most represent your sense of who you are and what’s important to you. 

 

·        How many of these cards represent roles you play in life (mother, father, wife, boss, engineer, etc.)? 

·        How many of these cards represent personal characteristics (loving, procrastinator, fun to be with, etc.)? 

·        How many of these cards represent activities you enjoy (swimmer, reader, sports fan, musician, etc.)?

·        How many of these cards represent diversity characteristics (a woman, a Black, a Christian, a middle-aged man, etc.)

·        How many of these cards have to do with your work identity?

·        What do these categories tell you about yourself and how you see yourself?

·        What other patterns or insights did you get from doing this exercise?

Write your responses to these questions in your Journal, or use this exercise and these questions as the basis of an activity in your discussion group.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            In Chapter 2 you were given a list of 10 principles that are generally important to people who are integrating their spirituality and their work.  You may wish to go back to that list now and see which of these is most important to you and whether or not there are other principles that you live by that are not on this list.  Are any of these key principles evident in the last 10 “I am statements?”

 

 

            Managing by Values by Ken Blanchard http://www.bkpub.com/products/authorshow.adp?name=Ken%20Blanchard and Michael O’Connor (1997) http://www.bkpub.com/products/authorshow.adp?name=Michael%20O%27Connor lays out a very clear and understandable process for “making values the boss.”  This means that living by your values becomes the driving force in the way you do business.  Values are your “boss.”  The three step process begins with self and expands to the organization:

 

The Managing By Values Process

Phase 1:  Clarifying your mission/purpose and values

Phase 2:  Communicating y mission and values

Phase 3:  Aligning your daily practices with your mission and values.

            For purposes of this chapter, we are focusing on Phase 1, but if you are interested in looking at a concrete program that helps to make your leadership more values-driven and your organization more value-based, please consider reading Managing By Values. 

In order to Manage by Values, you must begin by clarifying your own personal mission or purpose in the world and you need to develop a statement of your core values.  When I work with my executive coaching clients, this is one of the first things I have them do.

It is extremely useful to write your own mission statement as a guide to how you want to be in your life and work.  I encourage you to do this.  Stephen Covey rctm@aa.net  provides wonderful directions on how to do this in his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (1989). http://www.rctm.com/CoveyDirectory.html  You can also find suggestions on how to do this in Stephan Sphar’s sphar@pacbell.net article on the Spirit at Work website titled “Why a personal mission statement?  A way to unite meaning and action.” http://www.spiritatwork.com/newsletr/pastisu.htm

            Once you have written a personal mission statement, the next step of Phase 1 is to clarify your values.  Remember the 10 index cards with “I am” statements?  Now go back and throw out 5 of them, keeping the top 5 cards that most represent your sense of who you are.

 

·        What was it like to have to throw away 5 of your cards?

·        What were some of the most difficult decisions you had to make while doing this?

·        Make a note of your reactions in your Journal or discuss with your group.

 

In chapter 3 of Dorothy Marcic’s dorothy.a.marcic@vanderbilt.edu  book Managing With the Wisdom of Love she discusses the five management virtues that are found in all the major spiritual traditions http://www.marcic.com/books/virtues.htm.  They are:

 

1.      Trustworthiness

2.      Unity

3.      Respect and Dignity

4.      Justice

5.      Service and Humility

 

Did any of your 5 cards have these virtues as part of your self-identity?  Marcic is saying that these are the characteristics of effective leaders. 

Now, take those 5 cards and prioritize them from 1 to 5, with 1 being the most important or most central part of your identity, and each succeeding card with slightly less importance. 

 

·        What is your number 1 card?  Why?  What does that say about you?

·        Did any issues or dilemmas come up for you as you tried to make these decisions?

·        Did you gain any new insights or self-awareness from doing this exercise?  If so, how might that help you in your leadership?

 

See the world as yourself.

Have faith in the way things are.

Love the world as yourself;

Then you can care for all things.

 

 

 

 

 

Claiming Our Gifts

            Moxley states, “Another part of becoming ourselves comes with understanding and claiming our gifts.  Each of us has a gift, a unique and native talent, a talent with which we are born, a talent that can be nurtured and developed.” (p. 118)  He goes on to say that claiming our gift is a primary contribution that we can make to the activity of leadership.  This is not something that you can be taught, or a skill to be developed.  It is a part of your soul, your inner nature.  When you claim and use this gift, you tap into a deep source of personal power, or as William Miller wmillergcc@yahoo.com calls it “Spiritual Power.” 

            Lee Bolman bolmanl@umkc.edu and Terrence Deal in their parable of corporate leadership called Leading With Soul http://www.JosseyBass.com/catalog/isbn/1-55542-707-3/ state that “You lead with soul by giving to others.” (p.67)   In the parable, Steve, a corporate leader, is taught by Maria, his spiritual guide, that there are four gifts of spiritual leadership: 

 

1.      The gift of authorship:  accomplishment and craftsmanship, creating or ‘authoring’ something that is a unique expression of who you are. A good leader knows how to give this gift to his or her people so that they feel a psychological sense of ownership of the work.

 

2.      The gift of love:  caring and compassion.  A good leader understands that the most powerful force in the Universe is the force of love.  Like James Autry JAutrydsm@aol.com, former CEO of Meredith Corporation and author of Love and Profit:  The art of caring leadership (1991), the good leader truly cares for his or her people, knows what matters to them, and values their development above all else.

 

3.      The gift of power:  autonomy and influence.  The spiritual principle is that if you hoard power, you dampen Spirit.  But if you give it away, your own power increases.

 

4.      The gift of significance: working with others, doing something worth doing, making the world better.  A leader who wants to nourish the spirits of his or her employees understands that people are looking for meaning and want to feel that what they do makes a difference. 

 

In a similar vein, Covey rctm@aa.net in First Things First (1995)  http://www.rctm.com/CoveyDirectory.htmlsays that there are four primary human motivations:  To love, to live, to learn and to leave a legacy.  (Slide 8) The gift of significance is related to the motivation of leaving a legacy.

 

The Four Aspirations

Along with gifts, employees and leaders bring four hopes and expectations to their work.  Moxley calls these “aspirations.”  (2000:11)  The first of these is this:  “The employees want to be involved in the activity of leadership.”  Leadership, in the new unfolding paradigm, does not exist just in one person, but is shared throughout the organization.  People want to be involved in defining the mission and carrying out the vision of the organization.  This is not just the province of those in formal authority positions.

The second aspiration is:  “People want to find meaning and purpose in what they do.”  This is a basic human need.  According to Moxley, “Finding meaning and purpose is a spiritual act.” (2000: 12).  People want to feel as if the work they do, and the company that they work for, makes a positive difference in the world.

The third aspiration is:  “People want to use all of their energies, to use their whole self, in their work.”  Ken Wilber describes this as “integral business” http://wilber.shambhala.com/html/books/formation_int_inst.cfm/xid,8641/yid,3537758. Paid work is a major part of waking life for the majority of men and women in industrial societies.  It has also become the source of a sense of community for many.  People are no longer content to segment their lives and to be impersonal, unemotional, and amoral at work.  For most of the history of work, we have had a holistic relationship to what we did, whether it was farming, hunting, making shoes, or building a cathedral.  In the industrial age, “organizations came to think they needed only the physical energy of their employees.  Muscle and brawn mattered, not mind, heart, or spirit” (Moxley, 2000: 12-13).  This is changing in the information age, where organizational leaders are beginning to understand that the more energy employees bring to work; physical energy, emotional energy, intellectual energy, and spiritual energy, the more effective and competitive the organization will be.  Leaders who have done their own integral work in developing these energies in themselves are the leaders who will understand how to develop them in others.

The fourth aspiration is:  “People have a need to be seen as individuals, and they want to be involved in community.”  This is not an either-or imperative.  Rather, it is both-and.  Moxley tells us that corporations tend to confuse “individuation” with “individualism.”  Individuation is an important psychological developmental task of becoming more fully ourselves and connecting to our unique sense of spirit.  If we do not do this, we too easily lose our sense of self and become dependent on the approval of others.  However, corporations tend to idealize the “John Wayne” sense of rugged individualism, where independence, standing alone, and taking singular heroic actions without involving others are prized characteristics. 

In my research on people who are deeply committed to their own spiritual development, I found that for a time they felt isolated and alone on their journey.  They may have even consciously chosen to remove themselves from deeper contact with others so that they could focus more profoundly on their inner work.  This is the process of “spiritual individuation.”  But after a time the seeker becomes hungry to connect with other like-minded people and to experience a sense of community. 

In order to continue their spiritual development, people feel drawn to be with others and to be supported in their growth.  Time and time again I hear stories from people about how they found a co-worker with whom they could talk about meaningful ideas and experiences at work.  Those two would find another person, and then another.  A small group forms where people feel they can trust one another and can be themselves in authentic ways.  This is the beginning of community.  A wise leader understands how to nurture this natural propensity for meaningful wholistic human connection and creates and environment that supports this sense of community.

 

Finding Your Calling 

The concept of “claiming your gifts” is closely related to the idea of “finding your calling.”  As mentioned in Chapter 2, finding your calling or discovering Right Livelihood often happens be there has been some sort of a spiritual crisis or Dark Night of the Soul.  Moxley talks about the gifts of self-awareness and new energy that come out of going through “hardship.”  But there are many other ways to find your calling.  Martha Finney MarthaFinn@aol.com and Deborah Dasch interviewed people from all over the country who have found their calling. Their book Find Your Calling:  Love Your Life http://www.heartlandatwork.com is filled with stories of people who have found their calling, along with advice on how you may identify your own calling.  Martha Finney also created the Heartland At Work http://www.heartlandatwork.com project, which is a website full of stories of people who find joy in their work.  You may want to go there and read one or two stories.

Gregg Levoy callings@gregglevoy.com defines “calling” in much broader terms. We usually associate the word with vocation, and as Moxley states in our text, it has been associated with the calling to religious life. In his book Callings:  Finding and Following an Authentic Life http://www.gregglevoy.com he talks about being able to remember our callings –

 

[W]hether they are vocations in the arenas of work, relationship, lifestyle, or service.  They may be calls to do something (become self-employed, go back to school, leave or start a relationship, move to the country, change careers, have a child) or calls to be something (more creative, less judgmental, more loving, less fearful).  They may be calls toward something or away from something; calls to change something, review our commitment to it, or come back to it in an entirely new way; calls toward whatever we’ve dared and double-dared ourselves to do as long as we can remember. (p. 3)

 

Levoy says that we must pay attention to the signs of our calling to greater authenticity and gives the following examples of signs:

 

·        A dream that keeps coming back, or what it is that pursues you in dreams;

·        A symptom that recurs and is exquisitely metaphoric, such as a pain in the neck from shouldering too much responsibility

·        A conversation you overhear in a restaurant that seems as though it was spoken directly to you;

·        Places in your life where there is friction.  As in nature, friction occurs where changes are taking place, or trying to.  Where, for example, do your words not match your deeds; where do you fight with others; where do your longings rub against your security?

·        Song lyrics you can’t get out of your head;

·        Instructions that arise unbidden from the silence of meditation;

·        An ultimatum your partner gives you:  either go to couples counseling or the relationship is over;

·        What you would preach about if given an hour of prime time;

·        What decisions you need to make in your life right now; what issues are hanging in midair waiting for resolution. 

(p. 6)

           

            You can read an excerpt from his book called “Follow Your Callings.” http://www.gregglevoy.com/follow_your_callings.html

 

It would be very hard to be an effective leader if you didn’t feel deeply connected to your work and if you weren’t passionate about what you were doing.  True leaders feel a sense of calling in their work, and a calling to the service of leadership.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Servant-Leadership

            One of the first people to write something about spirituality or religious faith in the workplace was Robert Greenleaf.  The first part of his career was as the Director for Management Research at AT&T.  When he retired from there he began his second career as a writer and educator, including being a visiting professor at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and at the Harvard Business School.  In 1970 he wrote an essay titled “The Servant as Leader” http://greenleaf.org/rkgbio.html which has been extremely influential in the management field.

            Greenleaf didn’t believe that people need to be in formal leadership positions in order to be a Servant Leader.  They only need to have a desire to serve.  In Chapter 2 we explored the concept of service as being one of the central principles of spirituality in the workplace.  Visit the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership website for quotes http://www.greenleaf.org/who-issl.html by Robert Greenleaf and for articles http://greenleaf.org/practice.html about Servant Leadership.

            Here are some questions you might want to consider as you think of yourself as a Servant Leader:

 

1.      Who or what do I serve?

2.      In what ways can I use my gifts as I serve?

3.      How can I be of more service?

4.      Am I able to be of service without thought of personal gain?

 

 

 

 

 

New Paradigms of Leadership

            In 1994 I attended the Institute of Noetic Sciences conference in San Diego, and on one afternoon I went to hear a panel of well-known people speak on leadership.  I had heard Meg Wheatley mjw@berkana.org speak the day before on Leadership and The New Science http://www.bkconnection.com/products/productshow.adp?code=64 and was extremely impressed with her concepts of chaos and order from the new sciences and how they help us to understand new ways of thinking about organizations.  So I was really looking forward to hearing what she had to say about leadership.  One after another, three well-respected men in the field of leadership got up and spoke about their particular ideas.  When it came to Meg’s turn to speak she said, “I’m not so sure I ought to be on this panel.  You see, I don’t believe in leadership.”  I remember gasping with surprise.  She then went on to talk about the natural laws of the Universe and how everything is based on principles of self-organization.  She said, “There are no leaders in nature.”  Her talk was radical and provocative.

            Wheatley is one of the new breed of thinkers about leadership and organizations.  We will explore more of her ideas in Chapter 8.  Another key thought leader in the area of leadership is Tom Brown mail@mgeneral.com, founder of Management General http://www.mgeneral.com. Management General is the premier website on new ideas about leadership.  It includes book reviews http://mgeneral.com/0-home/inside00/04050toc.htm#tops , interviews with top leaders, http://mgeneral.com/1-lines/lin_list.htm#2000, and “ezzays” by various leaders http://mgeneral.com/3-now/98-now/091598jn.htm.  But probably the most thought-provoking part of the site is the e-book section where you can read online books written by Tom Brown. http://mgeneral.com/4-ebook/ebk_list.htm 

            One of my favorites is The Anatomy of Fire http://mgeneral.com/4-ebook/ebk_list.htm#fire which we have used in several University of New Haven MBA courses. In this book Tom describes two kinds of leaders; those who spark fire and enthusiasm in people and those who are “placeholders,” not wanting change to happen.  According to Brown, there are five human tendencies that can ignite an average man or woman to do extraordinary things.  He calls these the five “flickers” and says that the role of leadership is to help ignite the fire within people:

 

“The awareness that we can explore is what first ignites human potential.... [Second,] No one I've met who has derived energy from the flicker of a deep, unrelenting enthusiasm for some new idea or project denies that it is a critical part of leadership.... Resourcefulness is the third flicker.... [W]henever leaders are stopped [fourth] -- only the flicker of resolve can provide the wherewithal to be resilient, to bounce back.... [Lastly,] [T]he basic tendency of kids I know or have watched is to help, to contribute. The kindling, then, for progress tomorrow is not to be found in places exotic or with people unique. We are born to glow -- just as Supreme Court jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. did in the field of social justice: ‘Life is a romantic business. It is painting a picture -- not doing a sum --but you have to make it a romance, and it will come to the question of how much fire you have in your belly.’” (Brown 1997) http://mgeneral.com/4-ebook/97-ebook/aofmap.htm

 

            Brown also created a series of Fiscal Fairy Tales that help people in organizations to discuss difficult leadership issues.  The Fiscal Fairy Tales are both online at the Management General Website http://mgeneral.com/4-ebook/ebk_list.htm#fisca and available as pamphlets http://www.bkpub.com for workplace discussion groups.  As an example, read “The Tortoise and The Harried” http://mgeneral.com/4-ebook/98-ebook/062998eb.htm which is about the fast pace of organizational life and the issue of balance.  This story is also about the issue of appearances of busyness versus the actual production of results.  Consider having your workteam discuss this Fiscal Fairy Tale and then explore how these issues may or may not exist in your organization. 

            The key idea that seems to be emerging in many of the new theories of leadership is that paying attention to the human spirit is important, and perhaps even critical to organizational success. 

 

“ If there is light in the soul, There will be beauty in the person

If there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony in the house

If there is harmony in the house, there will be order in the nation

If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.”

Arun Wakhlu

 

Universal Leadership

            The concept of spirituality and leadership seems to be one that crosses national and cultural boundaries.  It is not limited to a particular faith tradition or to a particular part of the world.  As mentioned in chapter 1, the pull towards incorporating spirituality in our everyday lives is a world-wide phenomenon. 

            Arun Wakhlu oshiana@bom3.vsnl.net.in in India has written a wonderful book called Managing From the Heart:  Unfolding Spirit and People in Organizations (1999).  http://www.pragatilearning.com/products.htm  He states in the preface of the book that “there is a way to express these truths in a manner which transcends any single culture.  I believe that there is a core human tradition which goes beyond any cultural mindset.” (p. 15)

            In the years that I have been involved in spirituality in the workplace, I have met people from Japan, Norway, Sweden, the U.K., Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, India, and many other countries who care deeply about this work.  I had participants in my online course from Belgium, Canada, and Hong Kong who are all actively involved in spirituality in the workplace.  In the past few years there have been conferences on spirituality and business in India, Australia, Mexico, the Phillipines, and Canada, as well as all over the United States.

            There are books on leadership and Christianity, leadership and zen, leadership and Judaism, and just about every other major faith tradition.  All of the world’s great spiritual literature is being examined by leaders for inspiration and guidance.  In the end, it all comes down to simple truths of love, caring, and compassion.

 

Leadership Development

As we come to recognize the importance of spirituality in effective leadership, we realize that spiritual concepts and practices may be of value in leadership development efforts.  However, this raises ethical issues about whether or not this is appropriate in organizations.  Cash and Gray (2000) provide a model that helps managers think through the issues of appropriate religious and spiritual behavior in the workplace, especially in light of the growing number of EEO suits related to religious discrimination and harassment in the workplace.

The Path to Mastery program described in chapter 2 is an example of a leadership development program designed to be integral, i.e., to encourage physical, mental, emotional and spiritual development in leaders.  It is non-religious in its approach, but it does incorporate yoga and meditation based on Hindu and Buddhist practices.  Ed Quinn equinn@innerwork.com, the program’s developer, is very sensitive to issues of religious and spiritual freedom, and is very respectful of differences in beliefs and practices.  He has not encountered any problems in organizations. 

However, Sharron Emmons, a Director at a New England utility, almost walked out of a leadership training session that had spiritual elements as part of the design.  She felt that the program was much “too New-Agey” and that the trainers were insisting that the participants buy into their belief system.  Two of the utility employees, who were Christian fundamentalists, did leave the training session, claiming that the trainers were doing the “devil’s work,” and they filed a complaint against the company.  These kinds of experiences are rare, but people who are incorporating spiritual components into leadership development programs, must be very aware of what they are doing and must insure that the training does not violate the rights of people from various belief systems, including those who chose not to be involved in any spiritual or religious traditions.

Moxley (2000) describes reflective disciplines and action disciplines that leaders can undertake themselves in order to develop their inner life and thus improve their effectiveness.

The reflective disciplines include:

1.      Silence.  Taking time to listen deeply to what life has to say to us.  It is recommended that leaders take time to be in silence at least once a day.

2.      Meditation.  Meditation is not a complex and mysterious thing.  It simply means taking the time to be mindful of your experience and to be present in the moment.  It is most helpful to do this without evaluation or judging, just witnessing thoughts and feelings as they float by.

3.      Prayer.  Moxley (2000: 145-6) says that prayer is a form of meditation, just as meditation is a form of silence.  However, prayer is more active.  It is a time where we can “go beyond being mindful to giving voice to our fear and insecurities, our hope and dreams, our concern for individuals and relationships.”

4.      Journaling.  Writing down your thoughts, feelings and reactions to an event or experience is a wonderful way to reflect and to deepen your inner work.  Often, as people do this, a new insight or new understanding of the situation will arise.  It is also a way to come to a sense of peace about a difficult situation.

 

Active Disciplines

Jeri Darling and Chris Schaefer (1996), of High Tor Alliance, conducted a survey on contemplative practices in the workplace, as mentioned in Chapter 1.  Moxley (2000) reports on five of these active disciplines:

1.      Sharing of Personal Life Stories.  Bolman and Deal (1995) say that stories are a major way that spiritual knowledge gets passed on.  Moxley says that the telling of our own stories can help to remind us of who we really are and aspects of ourselves that lie buried within us.

2.      Deep Listening.  “Deep listening means being fully present with another person.  It involves paying attention to what he or she says with mind, heart, and spirit.” (Moxley, 2000: 147)  It also means paying attention to what is not said but what you feel or intuit as another is speaking.  And it can mean listening to what Spirit wants to have expressed in the moment.  Deep listening can only be effective when the listener is non-judgmental and does not feel a need to give advice or solve another person’s problem.  It means “being” rather than “doing.”

3.      Seeking Feedback.  We all have our blind spots, and may not see the effects of our behavior or choices on others.  Feedback can be an unfreezing experience that allows us to see ourselves in new ways, opening us up to deeper insights.  The most effective leaders I have seen are the ones who actively seek feedback from the people who work for them.  They are able to listen to the feedback in an appreciative, non-defensive way, and sincerely try to alter behavior that causes problems for other people.

4.      Personal Growth Workshops.  Many personal growth workshops help people to do the things that are described in this chapter, such as creating a personal mission statement, clarifying values, and discovering guiding principles by which to live.  There are many different approaches used in personal growth workshops from intensive one-on-one feedback, to simulations and role-plays, the use of personality tests, the use of art, music, dance or theater, and the use of outdoor wilderness experiences.  The goal of all these approaches is the same:  increasing self-awareness and learning about how our leadership affects others. 

5.      Work Itself.  This is the same as “Work is a teacher,” described in Chapter 2.  Work provides us the opportunity to confront our shadow, to see the world as our mirror, and to be a catalyst for greater growth.  Moxley says, “It is often some difficult, challenging experience at work – related to the job itself, other people, or a setback – that pushes us out of bondage and into the wilderness, that is the catalyst for our starting the journey in and down (2000: 149).

 

There are many more reflective disciplines and active disciplines than the ones described here, but these are the ones that are most commonly used by busy working people who are very much involved in the world.  Studies such as the one by Schaefer and Darling (1996) and Mitroff and Denton (1999) show that people who undertake one or more of these disciplines report feeling more effective and creative at work and a greater sense of equanimity and peace.

 

Summary

            The first principle of leadership is to “Know Thyself.”  To do this you must get clear about your mission or purpose in life and you must identify your core values.  Living a spiritual life means attempting to put into practice your most deeply held values, and to practice the spiritual virtues as described by Marcic.       

This chapter also discussed the importance of claiming our gifts and finding our calling.  When we understand what is uniquely ours to do, we are in the position to be servant leaders, whether or not we have a formal leadership position.

            Leadership theory is evolving and beginning to incorporate the importance of the human spirit and natural Universal laws.  The old “command and control” model of leadership, or “leader as hero,” is fading away, and “self-organizing systems,” “spiritual power,” and “igniting the fire” are becoming new ways of looking at leadership.

As leadership theory evolves, new methods and approaches to leadership development are being undertaken.  These must be considered very carefully because of the fine line between creating transformative experiences for people and proselytizing a certain set of beliefs and practice. 

It takes discipline to be an effective leader.  Moxley (2000) has described “reflective disciplines,” and “active disciplines” that are used by leaders to help them move towards greater self-awareness, authenticity and professional effectiveness.  It is important that both types of discipline be undertaken.  Inner work without outer work in meaningless and can tend towards escapism, and outer work without inner work can be a frenzied and frantic attempt to impose one’s will upon the world.

            Leadership is an inner journey, one that never ends.  If you take this journey from the perspective of following your calling, listening to your heart, and exploring how you can be of service to something greater than yourself, then this journey will be richly rewarding.

 

Internet Assignments

1.      Email three questions that you would like to ask Russ Moxley moxley@leaders.ccl.org the material in this chapter and/or your reading of his book.

2.      Email one of the authors in any of the first three chapters of this book.  You can do this by clicking on that person’s name in the chapter if you are using the online or CDrom verson of this book.  You may ask them a question about something in the chapter or their book, or may make a comment about their ideas and how they impact you.  The purpose of this exercise is to explore the accessibility of people in the spirituality in the workplace community.

3.      Write your mission statement following the guidelines provided by Steve Sphar’s article on the Spirit at Work website http://www.spiritatwork.com.

4.      Have your group at work discuss one of the Fiscal Fairy Tales on the Management General website http://www.mgeneral.com.

5.      Evaluate your organization (or any organization that you have participated in) on the five dimensions discussed in Marcic http://www.marcic.com.

 

Discussion or Journal Questions:

1.      Why is it so important for leaders to understand their purpose or mission and their core values?

2.      Russ Moxley writes about the “Gifts of the Inner Journey” (p. 149).  After reading this, reflect on the gifts you have received from your inner journey and how they can be of help to you as a leader.

3.      Do you feel a sense of calling in your work?  Why or why not?

4.      Do you consider yourself a Servant Leader?  Why or why not?

5.      Does your organization do anything to support the development of leaders in a wholistic way, ie; body, mind, emotion, spirit?