And Jesus Went Away To Pray - Feb, 1997

The Safety Committee at my work has met for 18 months. Hazards have been identified and removed; the employees now have fewer accidents. But the people are not really healthy; they get sick a lot. Our focus has shifted to improving health and we’re developing a wellness program. The starting point is physical exercise.

The way we see it, this is a type of personal, physical renewal. Most people at my office are sedentary and deal with constant, mental pressure. Physical exertion would a real change—a kind of distraction for their minds and a chance to strengthen some unused muscles. The pace and the work would be different. If it becomes a regular routine, exercise will make for healthier people, less absenteeism, and better performance.

We need to renew to build health and this is true for the spirit as well as the body. Spiritually, our work is often a challenge, yet it is important to remember that everything we do in life, including our work, is part of our response to God’s call. Our wholeness and personal integrity depends, at least in part, on our consciously working to strengthen our spiritual centering to our gainful employment.

As people of faith, we identify ourselves within our relationship to God. Whether we call God, Father, Teacher, Comforter, Healer, Lawgiver, or whatever, our faith has vitality and richness to the extent that our relationship with God and our view of God is a real force in our day-to-day actions and decisions.

Many of us are relatively unaware of the constant presence of God in our lives. We are caught up in the necessary busy-ness of our routines and work. In the daily energy rush, we often do well just to get the most pressing parts of our to-do lists done. Unless God is written on the list, we are likely to overlook time together. Instead, we stay intimately connected to the racing cycle of our life and somewhat distant from the source of wisdom that helps us make good decisions. Yet we have a need both to do well and to be faithful to our call; a tension that’s the essence of our healthy response to God’s invitation to wholeness.

That’s where renewal comes in—of reading, of retreats, of gathering with friends to pray and discuss the issues that collect around business. Effective renewal is not just occasional, but a developed habit of reflection on our work and behavior, a habit that builds the ability to make healthy choices. Individually and collectively, we need to ask, as a community of believers, what our faith means in the trenches of our daily lives. Our spiritual selves are enriched by our saying that we want to make the truth come alive in our here and now. Our lives would reflect that we use our work as one means to grow closer to God. And growing closer to God is the ultimate path to wellness.

To See the Spirit Everywhere, Let’s Start with Somewhere - Feb, 1998

About fifteen years ago, I was first brought into the formal process of business strategic planning. For several years, the executives got away annually to think, to reflect, to learn about themselves, to plan. They asked tough questions and were painfully honest about their organizational strengths and failings; only honesty was useful to them. Everyone came away renewed and enthused to meet the outlined goals. The business thrived.

The CEO told me that the first planning session was at a very lean time in the company’s history. Everyone was needed on the job—in the office or out meeting customers. To take several days away seemed irrational, almost wasteful, certainly exhausting. The meeting was in addition to all regular work; very long days preceded and followed. But somehow, while people knew that while they couldn’t afford to be gone, more so, they sensed that they couldn’t afford not to take the time to look at themselves, their values, their goals and their processes. Their futures depended on that off-site perspective and recommitment.

Can we relate to being that stretched? The have-to’s of our lives mean that we just don’t have time for reflection and evaluation. It’s all we can do to get the basics done. But I’d like to suggest that we more easily afford to be late on a couple of chores than we can afford to miss the opportunity to “true” our course by some focused time away. It’s in that step back that we get reconnected to our long-term goals and re-integrate ourselves with our beliefs and values.

1998 has been declared the Year of the Holy Spirit by Pope John Paul II encouraging us to increase our awareness of the Spirit’s sanctifying presence in our lives—all parts of our lives. In our chronic busy-ness, we often overlook that gentle presence. When we most need divine assistance and guidance, we may be too involved to hear God’s voice, and our choices often reflect it! I think we would be well served to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives and do so consciously.

Just like company leaders, we need time away from the routine. Our most effective time away is usually not days, but daily. Cultivating the habit of contemplation lets us leave the treadmill for 20 minutes of daily rest with God. In that time, we can transcend the mundane and enter into a quiet awareness of God’s presence. We reconnect consciously with God and become friends. Then we can better recognize the Spirit when we meet—in the street or in our chores or in our frustration.

The Spirit is at work—within us, around us, in our institutions, in our relationships—everywhere. If we’re constantly running, we may not even notice the one that’s right beside us, anxious to help. But if we slow down, even for a few minutes, we give God a chance to get our attention. That’s when our perspective of life changes.

Producing High Quality is Like the Search for Truth - Aug, 1998

The checker at the grocery store was talking with the bagger, enjoying a brief lull in the normally busy Saturday morning. When I approached with my full cart, she greeted me with a smile, and a warm, friendly welcome. As she began to record my purchases, she finished her conversation with her coworker.

“XXXX pays more, but I’d rather work here in this environment.” Her coworker agreed, giving examples of tangible differences that he had noticed.

Their work is tedious, probably boring a lot of the time, and physically demanding. They could be paid somewhat more, but each of them is consciously choosing a pleasant environment over more money. Pay is not the only thing that matters at work. The quality of our situation counts.

I could frequent two stores that are closer, but I also choose this grocery store for “quality” reasons. I am known there, recognized, called by name. I respect that the chain actively seeks to employ disabled and retired people, as well as students. The employees are pleasant and professional. The store is clean. There is laughter and merriment. The food variety, freshness, and value for the dollar are good.

For years, my family has teased me that I shop at the most expensive store and “why don’t I want to make the grocery budget go further?” I think it is not more expensive, but that is less important to me. I support of the values of this company.

I have seen and experienced there a comprehensive commitment to quality—in the products they sell, in the way they treat their customers and their employees, in the people they hire, and in atmosphere in the stores. They‘ve changed externals with the times, but the core, their standards of behavior, dress, and attitude point always toward higher quality, which may well be the organizational equivalent of seeking truth.

We have been reassured that the truth will set us free. Truth is more than telling the truth; it is the process where we come to see reality, unfiltered by our own issues. Knowing the truth brings peace. To seek truth is to embark on a courageous journey of humility, being willing to open our emotional and psychological doors to let real relationship happen. We learn compassion, love of others, and see a bigger perspective than our own. The pursuit of quality challenges us similarly; we see the result in our organizations and in the product.

Superior quality only comes when people work together. It’s attitude and behavior—a commitment to work with integrity for each other and the customer. It’s a constant process of refining and improving, requiring courageous people who focus on meeting customer needs, not on territory and personal gain.

A genuine commitment to quality simplifies our decisions; we discard options and possibilities that are self-serving or manipulative. We share opportunity. We care about the end result and the means we use. And in the process of achieving superior quality to serve others, we find truth.