Spirit at Work
January 26th, 2009 Posted in Leadership, NewsletterJanuary 20th was a special day. Not because it was my birthday or because it was the inauguration of our 44th President. But because it was a day where the worlds of work, government and faith came together. It was a day where school children, office workers, government employees and millions of people joined in prayer for the President of the United States, his family and the future of our nation. And then we all heard our new President speak about the faith and spirit needed to overcome these challenging times. It was a breath of fresh air and left me wondering a few questions:
Why does this happen so infrequently? Why have we become so scared to mention faith and work in the same sentence? In a world where 92% of people believe in a higher power and our dollar bill has “In God we Trust” on it and the President takes an oath of office with his hand on a bible and ends every speech with God Bless America, why has political correctness become the norm and how has it given way to spiritual death and misery at work.
Think about it. We celebrate national holidays and honor people like Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and Mother Teresa who changed the world because of their faith and yet we are supposed to ignore the faith that moved them to do great things. That would be like studying the act of breathing but ignoring the oxygen that it requires.
Please know, I’m not talking about religion. I’m talking about faith, spirit and a relationship. 2000 years ago there was no separation between someone’s work life and their spiritual life. Yet now people come to work and leave their spirit at home. They go to church on Sundays and discard the lessons they learned on Mondays. We complain that there’s no spirit in the workplace and perhaps it’s because we’ve done such a good job keeping it out. Perhaps that’s why greed has severely hurt our economy and why so many are burned out and feel like their souls are being crushed at work. Spirit and work were never meant to be separated. Our faith was always meant to guide us in our work and actions.
Everyone wants to talk about employee morale and engagement but that doesn’t happen without tapping into a bigger purpose. Companies and organizations want their people to be happy, motivated and productive but when you remove the key ingredient of spirit and purpose you’re left with a hole that can’t be filled. The research is clear. People are most energized when they are using their talents for a purpose beyond themselves.
We complain to God about the economy and say why did you allow this to happen but in reality God didn’t cause this. We did. The signs were there but we ignored them. Perhaps this is a great time to learn from our mistakes. Perhaps more God and less Greed is not such a bad idea. Perhaps more faith and less fear would be a good thing. Maybe starting your day with a silent prayer at your desk would give you strength. Maybe getting together and praying as a company in your own way would give a much needed energy boost. Amazing things happen when people come together in prayer.
This is what 100,000 businessmen did at Tokyo’s Kanda Myojin shrine at the start of the New Year (news article here). Its also what the city of Atlanta did when Lake Lanier and the water supply ran dangerously low.
Also consider other ways to infuse spirit into the workplace. Southwest Airlines places employees through spirit boot camp when they join Southwest. The Westin Hotel employees now have name tags that also list their passion. I saw one employee with a tag that said “My passion is creating social change” And Ken Blanchard, author of the One Minute Manager, whose title is the Chief Spiritual officer of his company hosts a daily call for all his employees where he shares a positive and inspirational message.
You don’t have to evangelize in the work place and try to convince someone to believe what you believe. But you can be a living, breathing example of your faith. As St. Francis of Assisi said, “people would rather see a sermon than hear one” anyway. You can invite God to work. I know what you’re thinking. If you were God you’d stay out of your work place too. 
But God wants to come into your work place. After all, the workplace is part of the Universe. Universe means “one song” and the creator of the one song wants to bring all of creation into harmony. With so many miserable people at work who feel hopeless and purposeless, I believe God wants to do redeem the workplace. But God needs each one of us to play our note.
So bring your spirit to work. Let your spiritual life power your work life. Let it move you to be your best and bring out the best in others. Let it guide you to make the right decisions. Let it inspire you to serve, lead and empower others. See your work not as a burden but as an opportunity to make a positive impact. In the process transform your work place from a dead zone to a place of sprit, energy and life.
Stay Positive,
-Jon
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Tags: business, faith, God, jon gordon, religion, spirit at work, Work, workplace
21 Responses to “Spirit at Work”
By Dan on Jan 26, 2009
Thanks for taking a stand on this Jon. I agree 100% and hope that this message gets echoed throughout the world!
By John G on Jan 26, 2009
Jon
Love your material. And I concur with your premis. The challenge that i have observed is that when people bring “spirit” to work what they are really bringing is their religion and their point of view.
I have actually had to tell people that their evangelical enthusiasm was uncomfortable for me.
Part of the secret to spirit at work is also tolerance.
By Jon Gordon on Jan 26, 2009
John,
You make a great point. Tolerence is key. It’s also why I love St. Francis’s quote. The people that have influenced me the most have been those who lived their life a certain way because of their faith and it made me wonder why i admired them so much. I wanted what they had. I asked them and they told me. But they didn’t preach to me. They spoke through their actions, faith and their presence.
By An on Jan 26, 2009
Amen! I really do agree with everything you are saying. From my personal experience, I believe one reason there is such a resistance for mixing faith and work is the overzealous religious right. There is a difference between mixing faith and work and mixing personal beliefs and agendas and covering them up with “faith.”
Right now, I send positive emails, like this, to my coworkers. I try to maintain a positive attitude and lead by example. I have recruited people to volunteer more and get more involved in the community. It is so inspiring to see how happy this makes people!
Thanks Jon! I look forward to these newsletters each Monday!!
By Jon Gordon on Jan 26, 2009
An,
I’m not sure you can just put the blame on the religious right. There is a loud minority that also wants to keep God out of everything in the world. So you have loud voices on both sides. One trying to bring God in. One wanting to keep God out. I hope this newsletter speaks for the silent but powerful majority who will live their faith and let their faith live through them at work.
By Roni on Jan 26, 2009
I agree Jon, the only time that I will mention God in the work place is when I am asked why I am the way I am. I try to live my faith and I have found that this works better than preaching at people, both at work and at home.
By Kristen on Jan 26, 2009
Our company has adopted a philosophy of Second Mile Service. We talk a lot about going above and beyond what the customer expects to serve them and demonstrate generosity, respect and love for others. Whether it be replacing a dropped ice cream cone for free or offering to drive a tired, elderly person back to her car in one of our golf carts, looking at our jobs as service has given our staff an increased passion for their work. Entwining faith and spiritual growth with work has given purpose to the mundane every day operations.
By trish on Jan 26, 2009
Happy Monday!I just read Jon’s Spirit at Work message and felt inspired… again! I was a fitness trainer/manager of a women’s gym and every day I would ask my clients to “Share their Spirit” with me. If it was low that day we would help to bring it to a positive level.. If it was high I would ask them to share it with someone who may be a little sluggish in their spirit that day.. It gave us all a great feeling knowing we could share, and it could inpact someone else’s life..It was one of my favorite “exercises”, the stories we all heard gave us the insight we needed and it helped make all our workouts much better as well.. gotta work the inside and the outside.. to me,,,that is completely how to Share your Spirit… thanks Jon for the article..Healthy Wishes to All.
By Nicole on Jan 26, 2009
I will echo Dan’s response: Thanks for taking a stand on this Jon. I agree 100% and hope that this message gets echoed throughout the world! And I’ll add, It’s good to hear someone not afraid to speak this, I’ve echoed those same words, it’s on our money, we ’say’ we believe yet it cannot be spoken in our public schools? Our nation was clearly built on it, that is why it WAS great. It still can be, if we can learn from this, turn it around, and recognize it is our fault. I’ve chosen to send my children to Christian Schools, because I want them to live with faith infused in their day. I just couldn’t imagine training them otherwise. I want them to seek God’s spirit in everything they do. All day, everyday, because I want the very best for them. I think it is that clear and that simple, if you want the best of the best and the best life possible, your faith will be infused in everything you do. Thanks for sharing the work and the messages Jon.
By MarieJ on Jan 26, 2009
Love what you had to share this morning, Jon. I couldn’t agree with you more and actually, it’s very much in line with what I’ve been working on lately.
When people go to work, they bring their entire person. They don’t leave their hearts and spirit at home and that’s a good thing.
Research from Seligman (former President of APA) and colleagues at University of Pennsylvania clearly shows that people who find meaning at work are better organizational citizens (more likely to lend a hand), more resilient to stress and more satisfied with their life in general. This more profound sense of happiness translates itself into better work results.
If leaders could learn to tap into more than just the mental, output-producing part of their employees, they would reap large benefits.
For proof, if you could survey 10,000 people and ask them what they are most looking for in a leader, what do you think your study would reveal?
Gallup performed this exact study and the results are clear: trust, compassion, stability and hope and the 4 characteristics followers most want from their leaders. (For full reserach results, see this link: Link 2 – http://strengths.gallup.com/private/Resources/Followers_Study.pdf)
There used to be a time when political leaders had to be mainly factual, rational and insensitive to be worthy of high-level offices, but we can now agree that this is passé. Obama has built his current popularity on the bases of trust, compassion and hope. With 83% approval ratings in the Country, it is clear that his message is effective.
Similarly, there used to be a time where business leaders tried to earn respect through a cold attitude, an authoritative demeanor and a clear bottom-line drive. Anything on the softer side was discredited as overly touchy-feely and weak. This philosophy is equally passé.
Today, respected leaders are those who care and encourage; those you can trust rather than dread; those who inspire hope rather than fear.
Leaders now have permission to be human, and that’s very good news.
Jon, there is lots of work for people like you and I who believe that infusing our workplaces with more meaning is a healthy and productive strategy! Good job on your newsletter today - keep up the good work!
Warmly,
MarieJ
By Joni Golden on Jan 26, 2009
Jon, I don’t think the reason businesses try to keep spirituality out of the work place is political correctness, but rather the way certain folks have a tendency to take advantage of any opportunity to proselytize. There is nothing stopping a business person from bringing their own spiritual values to the table in any workplace. Problems arise when their actions and words are tied to the idea that their religion is the “right” religion, and anyone who doesn’t accept it is condemned or misled or just plain wrong. It’s not PC to want to protect one’s employees from being subjected to the unwelcome imposition of religious beliefs.
We have in this country far too many people who practice a faith that condemns, judges, lays down rules and consequences based on their interpretation of Biblical directives. You’re right, a sense of spirituality could transform the work place - if it was truly spirituality and not religious dogma. I think that’s a pipe dream, based on my experience with many Christian friends who condemn all Muslims based on a complete misunderstanding of the faith, and then turn around and complain about the “war on Christmas.”
It is easier, it seems to me, to keep religion out of public spaces, than to try to deal with those who would proselytize, criticize and condemn others. In a work setting, it is entirely possible to live out one’s own personal and spiritual values, without religion ever entering the picture, and still accomplish what you’re talking about. The problem is that we, as a nation, are as confused about religion as we are about human sexuality. And we can’t seem to talk about either in any meaningful way.
By Kathy Hagle on Jan 26, 2009
Joni,
Thank you for writing this, as I am glad that you spoke of this fact and addressed it. As I am one who fully believes tha you can not separate someone and their faith.
Just like you can not tell someone to not show dislike towards a certain food when eating. Neither can you tell someone to turn on and off their faith. Even in the title of my business my faith is apparent.
This isn’t pushing my beliefs onto someone else. But it is what I follow and is part of me. And I can not or will not deny that fact.
And the ways that I have the two placed together is simple. And that is I live all of my life with my faith in mind. And daily in the morning as well as at night have a quiet time of devotion and prayer. Not only does this help me face my day but it gives me the strength to continue. Even when the storms of life are raging around me. And an added sense of hope in these tough times now.
By Dan on Jan 26, 2009
So encouraging to see the positive comments and the healthy dialogue taking place here. It’s easy for us to fall into the trap of trying to be RIGHT, regardless of our religious or spiritual beliefs, as Joni says above.
Specifically relating back to Jon’s article… I believe he’s more so focusing in on what guides us at work. There are a lot of people who claim to believe one thing, many of whom might go to church on Sunday, but fail to let that belief direct their actions on Monday. They bow to the pressures of performance and bottom lines versus making choices that honor the faith they claim to represent. And if faith is what drives many of us then faith should NOT be something that is removed from corporate settings. In many corporate settings if you mention “God” you are reprimanded or it creates tension in the atmosphere. God is not religious. It’s not about pushing ones religion onto another, it’s simply recognizing that without God nothing would be possible and that with God anything IS possible. When we remove him, we shut off the source from which life flows.
Back to Joni’s comment… I agree in a lot of ways but also may have a slightly different take.
Life is built so much around an individual’s upbringing and their current circumstances, which shapes their world-view and perspective. Makes reality subjective in many ways. That subjectiveness is often based on where we are and what has been revealed to us in our lives.
I think many tend to forget that.
We forget that God is working on each of us in a unique way. What he has revealed to me may be different than what he has revealed to someone else at this present time… and that’s okay. The purpose he has for me and the calling on my life is often different than someone else’s. If we’d stop trying to make everyone else exactly like we are, right now, and embrace the beautiful diversity around us that he has created, it would be much easier for us all to get along and move towards a common goal. What I’m saying is, if we’d stop focusing on the spec in someone else’s eye and remove the plank from our own, we’d be better off.
I am a follower of Jesus but I also realize the bum wrap that Christianity has given itself in many areas. When people are judgmental, self-righteous and dogmatic they are not being very good examples of what Jesus gave. On the other hand, I know that many of them have good intentions but they just miss a step in the process. They try to put rules before relationships and that is a formula for disaster. You can’t tell someone what to do or how to live until you have earned their trust. Trust is relational. You won’t care a lick about me and what I have to say unless you first know that I actually care about you. Caring about you means caring about you were you are NOW and believing in the potential of who you are and in who you can become. That’s what Jesus did. He didn’t push people further into a hole, he offered them a hand that would pull them out.
Jesus didn’t condemn, although He did speak some pretty harsh words on occasion. What he did was to love people where there were. But he didn’t stop there. He met people were they were but never left them there. He started working in their lives and for those who chose to follow; He lifted them up out of the chains that kept them down. There’s nothing condemning about that.
I’m smart enough to know that I don’t know much. What I do know is that each one of us is growing in knowledge and wisdom. If not then we’re dead. We just have to do a better job at distinguishing between truth that is informational (only reaching our minds) versus that which is transformational (penetrating the heart). For Christians, if we claim to trust God then we need to trust His work in others lives as well. It’s not in our time, it’s in His. I’ll personally never pass judgment on someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus right now because I know that a year from now they very well may change (Saul to Paul). I could be part of the solution by living my life as an example or I can be part of the problem that causes others to stumble away. It’s a personal choice. I don’t love on someone with the ulterior motive that they get converted to Christianity. I love on them because Jesus told me to. If I focus on that, everything else will work itself out and I very well may EARN the right to share my faith with someone else because they know I care.
By Joe on Jan 26, 2009
Bringing Spirit to work for me is a simple and constant endeavor. As a Human Resources professional I am in contact with employees all day. To honor and bring Spirit forward, I practice visualization during each encounter. First, I give thought to the reality that the employee before me is a child of God. Whether he or she is there for an interview, guidance, advice or discipline does not matter; where I place my attention does matters.
I do not discuss my thoughts about Spirit with these folks, but quietly they receive the inevitable blessing present whenever someone places their attention upon our Creator. I offer every visitor to my office respect through eye contact and my full attention. Sometimes I imagine one of the prophets is sitting in an empty chair or standing silently in the corner of the office observing our conversation. I believe these daily efforts make a difference to all who interact with me each day. I focus on the reality that we are soul. We only inhabit our bodies. As such, each of us is equally important and therefore every interaction has the potential to be one in which God’s love is shared and celebrated.
By Reggie on Jan 27, 2009
Jon, you are sooooo on point! If only we could live what we believe, people would want what we live. It’s about a relationship with God, not religion. He doesn’t beat you over the head but His message is inviting and refreshing.
By John Anglin on Jan 28, 2009
Hello Jon,
Great post! When you spoke at Mountain Air Country Club’s kickoff event in March of 2008, you made quite the impression on me. At that time, I realized that my ‘ministry’ could also be fulfilled in my work place. As a result, I have started sending out a ‘Scripture of the Day’ email. It started out with a small group that I knew would not be offended by the message and then I started receiving requests from many others who wanted to be added to the email blast. Prior to a sales and marketing meeting recently, the topic of the emails came up, and it was then that I realized the recipients of these emails truly enjoyed the message. It was a part of their day that they could meditate, reflect and pray. I attribute the confidence to do this to your message of embracing sprituality into our work place.
God bless.
By Paul Gretschel on Jan 28, 2009
Jon:
I read your weekly newsletters, and I read your comment about spirituality and bringing it into the workplace. I’m not interested in hearing about God. I know the difference between God and spirituality, but getting a city together to pray for water is fairy tale.
By Jeff on Jan 29, 2009
Pray each day that you are ONE with Christ and that HIS will be done not my selfish, Pridefull ways. Find the Joy in giving everything to him. And.. count all conflict as an opportunity to be Christ to the world (Work)!
By Jeff on Jan 29, 2009
Hey Jon. Jeff again. I met you in Missoula, Montana last year at the principal’s convention. You were at the bar (eating) and suffering with a cold. Your words, books and Monday emails have helped much. Thanks!
By Maureen on Mar 5, 2009
Hi Jon,
I was just forwarded your site by a co-worker, and I thought this blog was so meaningful! Thank you for eloquently stating this beautiful sentiment. I work in education. Unfortunately, this is one of those places that is desperately missing the Spirit. I also do not believe in pushing my beliefs on someone else, but if they see how I treat others or react to negative situations, I can only hope that they will see my “spirit” and be moved. This helps me stay focused on the positive, rather than on the negative! Thanks so much!
Maureen