Spirituality In Business
I assist top level executives by offering business and technology solutions in their business. An opportunity to work with Employees and Clients having diverse background with international experience inspired me to think one question, how Spirituality helps to business to grow and scale. Spirituality relates to self-awareness, has values of compassion, love, service, honesty, authenticity and integrity.
During conversation with them, I observed, they get different outcomes in business, who believes in God, do prayers OR who are atheists.
Spirituality to a person is, beginning of transform from inside out, gives personal happiness. Visionary leaders find life beyong money, profit and business.
In Current time, People don't have ethics. I believe, bringing ethics and spiritual values into the workplace can lead to increase productivity and profitability as well as employee retention, customer loyalty, and brand reputation. One kind of positive and energetic environment is created. Spirituality boost morality and loyalty.
In addition to prayers, other spiritual practices at companies include meditation; centering exercises such as deep breathing to reduce stress; visioning exercises; building shared values; active, deep listening; making action and intention congruent; and using intuition. In many cases, business success depends on leader's intuition.
The sustainable business, social investment and spirituality in business movements are one of the hopeful signs that business, as the most powerful institution in world today, may be transforming from within.
CxOs use religious holy books or prayer book in prayers. One of the holy book, Bhagvad Gita, teaches the unique way of life that eases off your tension and enjoy a happy life. It is composed as a poem and it contains many key topics related to the Indian intellectual and spiritual tradition. Its said that, Just by keeping the sacred Bhagavad Gita anywhere, especially at home, and even if one does not have the time to read, makes the atmosphere auspicious, the negative energies are dissipated and one feels safe and protected.
Research says, companies with a defined corporate commitment to ethical principles do better profit financially than companies that don’t make ethics a key management component. When employees are encouraged to express their creativity, the result is a more fulfilled and sustained workforce. Happy people work harder and are more likely to stay at their jobs. Motivated, satisfied employees produce satisfied customer, which produce good financial results, which benefit the shareholders.
characteristic of a spiritual organization is that it has a visionary focus. Employees are there for a common reason and put their energy to serve common purpose.
Few good corporate examples, I could found:
1. Apple Computer’s offices in California have a meditation room and employees are actually given a half hour a day on company time to meditate or pray, as they find it improves productivity and creativity.
2. Lockheed Martin, how to focus on what’s positive, instead of the problems, because our beliefs create what we experience.
3. The Covey Leadership Center and The Centre for Generative Leadership teach Fortune 500 executives how to align their company’s mission with their deeper values.
From my experience, Investors always or frequently check on business practices, values and ethics before investing.
I am curious, how other Entrepreneurs incorporate Spirituality into their business practices and how they transform business outcomes in profit and growth.