By James Divine, Steward of Wonders at the metaphysical shop Parlour of Wonders
Most of us in the Mind/Body/Spirit world have already committed at least one act of rebellion: We questioned conventional wisdom.
We explored healing, consciousness, spirituality, intuition, interconnectedness, energy, meaning, and human potential outside the mainstream. In one way or another, our businesses are built around a fairly radical proposition: there may be better ways of living than the ones we inherited.
So why, when we open a business, do so many of us suddenly accept conventional wisdom about how people and organizations should be led?
In our defense, they call it conventional wisdom for a reason. And there aren’t exactly a lot of college courses called Spiritual Leadership for Business or How to Be a Chief Empathy Officer.
For more than a century, the dominant model of business has treated organizations something like machines. Workers are “resources.” Managers control them. Leaders are supposed to have the answers. Decisions flow downward. Problems need someone to blame. Success is measured primarily by numbers.
There’s just one awkward little problem: A century of thinking about organizations, psychology, human motivation, quality, and systems suggests that this is a remarkably poor way to lead human beings.
Beginning with pioneers like Mary Parker Follett in the 1920s and continuing through generations of researchers and business thinkers, a very different picture of effective leadership has emerged… and it sounds suspiciously spiritual.
Respect every human being. Lead with humility. Remain a student. Establish a purpose greater than short-term gain. Serve others. Recognize interdependence. Pay attention to the path, not just the destination. Continually transform. Welcome problems as opportunities to learn.
These aren’t just affirmations to write on a sticky note for mirror. These are principles of business that actually work.
Research into psychological safety shows the importance of creating environments where people can speak honestly about mistakes and problems. Research into human motivation points toward autonomy, competence, connection, and meaning. Systems thinkers have demonstrated that changing the conditions creating a problem is usually more powerful than repeatedly treating its symptoms.
Meanwhile, generations of business-improvement thinkers have arrived at something that should sound remarkably familiar to anyone in the metaphysical community: everything is interconnected.
Yes, apparently that includes my tax accountant.
When we change one part of a business, there are consequences elsewhere. When we create fear, people hide problems. When we punish mistakes, people stop experimenting. When we obsess over short-term numbers, we can damage long-term health. When we treat people as expenses to control rather than human beings with knowledge and potential, we lose much of what they could contribute.
This doesn’t mean profit is bad. Quite the opposite. A business that cannot sustain itself cannot continue serving anyone.
The unconventional idea is that sustainable results are consequences. Instead of trying to manage results directly, we become intentional about the principles, behaviors, and systems that create those results.
That idea inspired me to begin exploring what I call The Nine Principles of Spiritual Leadership:
- Practice Radical Compassion.
- Lead with Humility.
- Remain a Student.
- Hold the Vision.
- Serve Those You Are Called to Serve.
- See the Whole.
- Embrace Transformation.
- Honor the Path.
- Welcome Problems as Teachers.
These aren’t commandments. They aren’t a new spiritual path. They won’t tell you whether to meditate, pray, pull a card, consult your guides, hug a tree, or do none of the above.
They ask something both simpler and considerably more difficult: How will you lead?
In coming issues, I’ll explore each principle—in 600 words or less, I promise—and how it can be practiced in a Mind/Body/Spirit business.
Those of us who have already chosen unconventional approaches to spirituality, healing, consciousness, and human potential don’t need to build perfectly conventional businesses. Our businesses themselves can become expressions of what we believe.
And perhaps leadership itself can become a spiritual practice.
Sources: Follett, Creative Experience (1924); Deming, Out of the Crisis (1982); Edmondson, “Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams” (1999); Ryan & Deci, “Self-Determination Theory” (2000); Meadows, Thinking in Systems (2008); Shingo Institute, The Shingo Model; Institute for Enterprise Excellence, Principle-Driven Transformation.
James Divine has spent his decades-long career exploring the many facets of transformation. As a business consultant, he advises organizations on leadership, culture, strategy, change, and continuous improvement through BirchConsultingLLC.com. James is also Steward of Wonders at the metaphysical shop ParlourOfWonders.com and creator of the Divine Hand Method of palmistry, TheDivineHand.com, drawing on more than 35 years as a professional palmist. He is a High Priest in the Sylvan Tradition and founder of Ironwood Grove in Tucson, Arizona. His work explores the surprisingly fertile ground where organizational science, psychology, and spiritual practice meet.
