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Does Spirituality enhance the work environment?

Written by: Christiane Pohl

Article Overview: Is there a place for spirituality in the work environment? And above all what exactly do we mean by spirituality? I have always felt a bit self-conscious about using the word myself and after researching those questions I would now define spirituality as being an expression of life enhancing values that are anchored somewhere in all human beings. What is spirituality for you? Does it find expression in the way you work?

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Does Spirituality enhance the work environment?

One of my favorite definitions of Spirituality comes from Sri Sri Ravishankar. When asked about the difference between Spirituality and Religion he replied: “Spirituality is the banana, religion is the peel. What is happening is that people hold on to the peel and throw away the banana.” Could we then say that what we refer to as our spirit is the essence of our humanness? Could spirituality then simply be a way of being in touch and living in line with our human values?

During my research I found that Stories about spirituality in the workplace are everywhere. In fact a recent Google search turned up more than 60,000 hits - all related to the soul at work. I then interviewed 20 leaders from different industries on the importance of spirituality in their business leadership and they said it helps them:

• Inspire their companies to do good in surrounding communities
• Find guidance in making crucial decisions, especially those that affect other people.
• Shape their leadership through emphasis on personal values such as dignity and honesty

We then discussed what we considered to be the key spiritual values and how they benefit people and the environment at the workplace. Here is what we came up with:

Spirituality is people defining their values, their humanness and what kind of world they want to create. As business people, we realize the value of having a vision of where we are heading. Once we have gained clarity of what we want to create our actions will be accordingly. Clarity and Creativity are cornerstones of business and life. They allow us to come out with new products and services that really are of service. They allow us to do more with less. In essence, clarity and creativity lead to more efficiency.

Spirituality is authenticity in communication. When the truth is allowed to be safely and respectfully spoken, old problems clear up, new possibilities emerge, and people feel more connected. They work together in a trusting team.

Spirituality is the development of trust. We trust people who operate in an ethical framework. Employees trust employers. Employers trust employees. And customers who trust a company stay customers longer.

In fact, we came to the conclusion that Spirituality is an expression of caring and our ability to see the bigger picture; and those are also the cornerstones of creating a successful life and business. We are all interconnected, a part of a whole. Everything we do, feel and think effects everything else.

We concluded that Spirituality as we understood it enhances the environment at the workplace by promoting key human values and by recognizing that there is more to work than just survival.
Is your work environment a place that enables you to express your soul and spirit?

With my best wishes for your success.

Christiane Pohl

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Home > Work-Life > Christiane Pohl > Does Spirituality enhance the work environment
Article Tags: Business Ethics, Leadership Coaching, Work environment

About the Author: Christiane Pohl
RSS for Christiane's articles - Visit Christiane's website

Christiane Pohl is a Life & Leadership Coach with More Life, More Success Coaching and an Art of Living Teacher. She helps people to gain clarity about their priorities, create a life that feels managable and transform their insights into action.
She has been working for many years as a coach and mentor with professionals in international companies. Her clients say that she has the gift of helping them identify what is most important to them, find solutions to challening situations and enable them to change and develop. She is considered to be resourceful, committed and practical with a healthy sense of humor.

She has a diverse background which includes 20 years experience as a Manager in International Hotel Companies in Germany, Switzerland, England and Greece.

Click here to visit Christiane's website
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