| Alistair Smith is a deacon at Christ Church Cathedral |
I've been reflecting recently that we don't need to try to bring spirit into the workplace, rather, the Spirit is already there, we just need to be awake enough to sense Her.
We might find the Spirit anywhere: in a strong relationship among team members, in customers' smiles, in laughter, in comfort when things get tough, and in courage when people take a stand over important issues.
A most visible manifestation in the workplace is in our creativity. Theologians, notably, Sallie McFague, Gordon Kaufman, Bill Phipps and David Ray Griffin all point to creativity as a fundamental reality, embodied by all life in God's creation. McFague for example draws the link between creativity and ruach, the breath of life God breathes into Adam.
And not surprisingly we see the business literature increasingly filled with references to creativity as fundamental to economic sustainability around the world. Consider
Where do you see creativity and the Spirit in your workplace? Look to where individuals or groups are being transformed.
I watched Her work a couple of years ago working with a client where the team drawn together after a series of mergers was back stabbing (and front stabbing for that matter), and fighting over turf. The solution was found in a series of meetings with the players individually over a week and then a facilitated conversation among the whole group for a full day.
Part of my role as facilitator became to make some of the more contentious points to the group myself, and let individuals who disagreed get mad at me if they needed to. Once the points were on the table though, the people who felt closest to them soon saw that they could and did speak to them safely and securely, and then could listen to the other ideas in the room.
As people were able to move past their anger, move past their entrenched positions, they could in fact work together and become a stronger group, able to transform themselves individually and collectively.
Although the group would not likely use this language, the Spirit was very present that afternoon, inspiring, listening, speaking truth, and holding the group together so they could explore creative solutions to their problems.
In their own language, to this day, the group talk about that meeting as "the turning point, the transformative moment" for each of them. They know that something very powerful happened in that room. And their economic sustainability today? Fantastic! The Spirit is at work, if only we care to notice.
If you have questions, comments or stories about faith, work, money and or business ethics, I'd love to hear from you. Please email me at deacon@cathedral.vancouver.bc.ca.
Alistair Smith is a deacon at