Former Chief Talent Officer who founded Voyage Consulting Group to help leaders treat their company culture like the strategic asset it is.
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As life moves past the pandemic, people are becoming more spiritual. In a January 2022 report, 75% of Americans described themselves as spiritual, with 28% of Americans declaring a deepening of their faith caused by the pandemic. People are spiritual but have been discouraged from bringing that part of themselves to work. Leaders now have an opportunity to build a rare culture—one where people are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work and leaders are glad they do.
Leading with spiritual values may not be as hard as you might think. First of all, remember, that spirituality and religion are not the same. Think of spiritual leadership as creating an environment of trust, honor and success for all. Keep it simple, reasonable and responsible.
Here are seven ways to incorporate spiritual leadership in the workplace:
1. Get to know your people. Don’t be phony about it. Genuinely get to know their experiences, preferred style of work, goals, vision for their life, etc. Learn what fulfills them—what does success mean to them? The better you know your people, the more sincerely you can care and can create circumstances for their success, and they will notice. The result will be deeper trust, which infuses every aspect of the work.
2. Create meaningful work. No one will bring their best work every single day to ensure management gets its bonuses. They bring it when the work matters. Be sure they see the bigger picture and how their work contributes to something important. For example, if you lead an insurance company, be sure everyone from the salespeople to the accounting team understands the relief customers feel when they are covered and can keep their home. Helping customers avoid the agony of the opposite will inspire more than smiling through rejections of cold calls or endless spreadsheets.
3. Always treat others well. Show that you value others in every interaction because that’s who you are, even if they made a costly mistake causing a big client to leave. It is easy to be kind in good times. Bring that same level of care when faced with challenges.
4. Communicate honestly, not brutally. Be open with others. Give praise generously. Give constructive comments when they can help going forward. Have the hard conversations. It does not honor underperformers to keep them in jobs they do not do well. Honor them with a conversation about their goals. Find out what else could better align with their skills, interests and goals. If you can, create that alignment. Letting them stick around based on false hope for meaningful work is the epitome of poor leadership. If you can’t better align them, treat them the way you would want someone treating your dearest friend if an exit is needed. Honor them with dignity and grace on their way out. If you cannot have tough conversations with others, it may be wise for you to consider a non-leadership role for better alignment.
5. Be more of a giver than a taker. Understand the impact your company has on the community and environment. For example, be sure your company disposes of outdated technical tools responsibly. Value contributing to the good of the world, even if just in your corner of it. Participate in the local community by volunteering, as well as sponsoring and supporting companies doing good.
6. Be principles-led. Align decisions about the business with your company values and personal core values. Live by a strong moral and ethical compass. Consider the greater impact of decisions on all of your stakeholders. For example, during the pandemic, some companies raised their prices while their customers were losing their jobs and their employees were forced to work 50-plus hours a week, from home, while home-schooling their children. Those companies took advantage of at least two stakeholders—customers and employees—for the benefit of stockholders. It may have been legal, but was it right? Was it kind? Leaders in those companies are money-led, not principles-led. What do you think happened to some of those companies? Their employees left during the Great Resignation and they can’t find replacements.
7. Promote personal well-being. During each day, take time to recenter yourself with your spiritual values. Take breaks and encourage others to do the same. Let your brain be still. Take a walk, meditate, listen to a few favorite songs, read a personal development book, do yoga, pray, stretch, journal—select a few practices that help relieve the pressure of the day. Incorporate reflection and assessment of your spiritual journey regularly.
Consider these practices of spiritual leadership to lead in alignment with your own core values. Your spiritual congruency can help others do the same. As a leader, you are a role model whose actions and words affect others. Use that influence to help others find fulfillment every day.
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