Doing Business From a Spiritual Perspective
Regardless of what kind of business we are in, and regardless of what our religious background may be, we can all agree to engage in our business practices from a spiritual perspective.
A few specifics some to mind:
Trying to make the world a better place.
In my professional career, I have worked as both a clergy member and as an attorney. Sometimes people ask me about the differences between those work environments. But I have found those work environments are not so different from each other. On the days when work causes me to encounter caring, respectful, “decent” people, then work is a joy. On the days when work causes me to encounter divisive, manipulate, “difficult” people, then work is depleting. In my experience, it doesn’t matter if I’m working in the law firm office or the church office. What matters is how mindful people are about the work they do.
No matter what our daily work entails, it can be done with a mind toward making the world a better place, not worse. Even the most mundane professional tasks can be done with a nod toward the common good if we have the eyes to see it this way.
Treating every person with an awareness of their worth as a fellow human being.
Easier said than done! On the day I wrote this, I had two interactions before 10 am with fellow humans that left me deeply frustrated. I felt they were both taking advantage of me. In response I crossed the line to pushing hard for what I was entitled to instead of treating those two people as fellow sojourners.
So much of this has to do with boundaries. In each interaction, I may well have to establish a boundary of what I will or will not do, regardless of the other person’s response. But I can do so with proper humility and respect for the other person.
This is not easy. Even if I get it right with each interaction today, more interactions await tomorrow. Absent spiritual awareness I won’t see each person as a fellow human being worthy of my best regard.
Showing appreciation.
When it comes time to show appreciation for those who have helped us accomplish what we have (whether that be year-end recognition, or spontaneous moments along the way), it is easy to rationalize.
There are so many rationales for skipping that expression of appreciation. Here are a few:
That person does not expect me to express my appreciation;
We did not make enough money to be generous right now;
Nobody showed me appreciation for my contributions, so I do not need to show appreciation for those who assist me.
I have been fortunate to have role models over the years who always found ways to express their appreciation. If revenues were down, they found inexpensive yet meaningful ways to do so. If income was more robust, then they shared the bounty with those who helped. They did so as a matter of principle, regardless of what rationales might have allowed them to ignore those around them.
Those role models taught me that when we show appreciation specifically, or have a generous disposition generally, then we tend to receive appreciation and rewards ourselves. It’s not so much a magic formula as it is a spiritual principle.
Being inclusive in everyday matters.
Unfortunately, the world “inclusive” can be divisive in some circles. We tend to default to our long-standing political or ideological polarities when deciding what we value most.
But there comes a point when it is time to cast aside those polarities and move forward as a collective people. Regardless of the specifics of our convictions, we should all be able to agree to treat other people we encounter in professional settings with absolute equality, regardless of their race, national origin, age, religion, presence of a disability, or sexual preference. Treating all people with dignity can certainly rise to the level of common sense by this point in human history. Surely our spirituality, regardless of the specific beliefs, can lead us to include everyone instead of favoring those most like us.
