While some may feel uneasy about using words such as “spirituality” and "spiritual" when discussing workplace values, it is important to remember that “spiritual” and “religious” are not synonymous. Spirituality is not defined by an explicit set of religious beliefs or practices. On the contrary, spirituality does not need religion at all to define itself. Some people are religious without being spiritual, while others are spiritual without being religious. Spirituality, therefore, is more about how people identify themselves, how they view the world, interact with others, and make decisions.
So how can spirituality be applied to leadership? Clearly not all leaders can be described as spiritual leaders. Some past examples of non-spiritual leaders would include Hitler, Stalin, Ceausescu or Attila the Hun. They not only lacked honour, compassion, and responsibility towards others, but as fear-based leaders, they were also known for destruction and lack of respect for mankind in general.
By contrast, a spiritual leader in today’s workplace would be fundamentally different and would demonstrate different qualities and behaviours in their daily interactions with others:
- Encourage and inspire employees to find meaning and purpose in their lives
- Demonstrate empathy
- Show integrity, honesty, kindness, and respect in dealing with others
- Value the well-being of others above their own interests
- Live by example
- Encourage creativity and learning
- Be socially and environmentally responsible
- Be ethical and moral
- Have a certain degree of humbleness and aim to serve and inspire others
- Promote leadership based on respect and love, not fear
One should never underestimate the impact that one person can have on others. As theologian Albert Schweitzer wrote, “In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”
Spiritual Leaders as Self-actualizing People
In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed a theory of human motivation based on a hierarchy of needs. At the top of his hierarchy, he placed the so-called “self-actualization” need. Interestingly, when one compares the qualities of Maslow’s self-actualized people with the qualities of spiritual leaders, one can see remarkable similarities. Self-actualized people are defined by morality, creativity, spontaneity, and lack of prejudice, among other things. So are spiritual leaders.
As Lance Secretan, author of Inspire! What Great Leaders Do, said, “Leadership is a serving relationship with others that inspires their growth and makes the world a better place”.
Since spirituality seems to be beneficial to the workplace, it would make sense to integrate it into the corporate culture through the organization’s policies, values, and mission statement. But in order to make workplace spirituality a truly meaningful and far-reaching corporate value, this cultural shift will require executive buy-in and on-going support.
