“Bringing Your Soul to Work”
by Cheryl Peppers & Alan Briskin
Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc., 2000
I have this artist friend who has a job as executive vice president of a construction-related firm. From nine a.m. to six p.m., he is the perfect engineer who wants every process executed with precision and who makes sure every work component works along a predetermined system.
After six, he rushes home (not to catch the early evening news) to lose himself in his studio. He picks up brush and palette -- and picks up, too -- one other unfinished business: an oil painting on canvas.
I asked him once how he could apply himself with such intensity at work and with equal, if not more, passion at his art studio. His answer was unexpected: “I work here,” he said, pointing to a busy mix of men and machines through his glass window, “so that I can finance my art.”
Another friend gets out of the plush offices of a computer company during lunch breaks -- camera in tow – to photograph the “remaining human elements” (his words) in the concrete jungle – a close-up of a vein-lined leaf, a long shot of a green patch in Makati, or the innocent smile of a streetkid perched on a pushcart. Why does he do it? His reply was as absolutely honest as it was mildly shocking: “By being back to what I most love to do, away from the hustle and bustle of work, I keep my sanity.”
Has the present-day workplace somehow succeeded in sundering soul from body? Has work been deprived of meaning? Has high purpose become incompatible with big business?
A book offers an answer -- and a way of “Bringing Your Soul to Work” which, incidentally, is the book’s title, authored by Cheryl Peppers and Alan Briskin. The book asks: “How do we go beyond simply balancing work and personal life to an approach to living – that has integrity and beauty?”
However, while waiting for the initiatives of corporate organizations toward this end, executives and professionals need to find ways to avoid a workaday chore that seems to tell us to bring your mind and body to work – but leave your soul behind!
The authors first discuss the “inner wilderness of the soul.” The wilderness conjures up a mix of fear and excitement – apprehension over the unknown and thrill over the adventure it offers. This is exactly what the authors want us to feel about our soul at work.
True to their calling as scholars, they make sure “soul” has been properly defined – using several points of view: Greek, Latin, Hindu, Hebrew and some indigenous traditions. The Greeks look at soul as “psyche,” the Romans as “anima,” and the Hebrews as “breath of life.” The authors add that the “Hebrew creation story implies the coming together of divinity and humanity, spirit and body.”
A Ph.D. in professional psychology, Ms. Peppers switches from theology to psychology, saying: “Each of us brings to work a multiplicity of selves.” Explaining contrasting personalities within us, particularly the good and the bad side, she suggests “managing the tension” to bring out the best out of such turbulence.
The authors advise readers to take time reading the book and going through such exercises as keeping a journal – especially as they bring the readers to journey back into their past fears, and travel on into their earnest hopes and fondest dreams for themselves. The book also abounds with stories of conflicts resolved to the fulfillment of the soul at work.
This theme keeps recurring in the book: Be true to yourself at work. Link role with soul. From being lyrical, the authors become practical: They offer six ways to deal with “what pulls us out of our role” – naming them as: criticism, fear, transitions, competing roles, fatigue and loss of purpose.
The book is a well-written piece, rich with psychological, theological and philosophical anchors. Perhaps, that’s what the authors are, in fact, saying: all these truths agree that the soul must be greater than its job description – and must, therefore, find ways to express that “greatness” at the workplace. Unfortunately, the authors say, some people are led to “rejecting a greatness for which they do not wish to be responsible.”
This book insists that you take an inward journey into yourself, and it’s hard to disagree. But, when the book ventures into relegating the battle between good and evil to simply “managing the tension” between positive and negative sides in a two-sided nature, it’s hard to agree. After all, good and evil are irreconcilable forces, and dealing with such mutually exclusive antagonist forces is much more crucial than dealing with quarrelsome sisters inside yourself.
On the whole, however, the book can be quite liberating (if only it liberates itself from subjects that are better left to theologians), especially with these stirring lines from Nelson Mandela, the legendary South African leader: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
The soul at work is powerful beyond measure. This book at least begins the effort to tap such power and, because of that, the book is worthy of one’s precious time – when everyone else is asleep and your soul is suitably stirred.
Sunday, September 30, 2001
Sunday, September 23, 2001
Narrowing your choices, and making up your mind
“The Literary Book of Answers”
by Carol Bolt
Hyperion, New York, 2000
“To be or not to be?” That was Hamlet’s question, as he was caught in a dilemma, seeking an answer to an existential question: shall he choose death, or shall he face a “sea of troubles?”
Hamlet’s soliloquy has survived the test of time. Reason: We creatures and actors of the 21st century have become more and more indecisive because we are faced with a lot lot more options. Not only that. Life has become more and more complex.
Joe Griffith, a renowned public speaker in the United States said: “It’s harder to make decisions today than it ever has been. When I was a kid, there was a soda fountain in a drugstore near my house. They only three flavors – vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry. It was easy to decide. Today when I go into an ice cream store, they have ten times more choices, and I have trouble deciding.”
Here at home, in the not so distant past, we had the simple choices of coffee, tea or … me!? And then, it was a choice between instant coffee and brewed coffee. Today, Starbucks or Seattle’s Best keep you standing at the counter deciding brewed or not brewed, short or tall, flavored or not-flavored, hot or cold, caffeinated or decaffeinated, brewed decaf or instant decaf, hot or cold capuccino – and so on with infinite choices of taste and aroma.
The paradox of the times, however, is that decisions have to be made faster now than ever before. Lee Iacocca, the guy who saved Chrysler, makes clear his bias for quck decision-making by making this requirement from his management team: “The qualities than make a good manager is decisiveness.”
“Whenever I make a bum decision, I just go out and make another,” said former U.S. President Harry S. Truman. This was the same man who ordered the bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. You cannot make a bum decision for so huge a consequence. The advice of Robert Townsend of Avis and author of “Up the Organization,” is a safer one: “Make quick decisions on small risks,” especially when you can change your mind afterwards with minimal losses.
Speaking of quick decisions on small risks, the book “The Literary Book of Answers” provides you an enjoyable exercise in decision-making. Running about 600 pages, has one-liners per page to provide you answers to your questions on keeping or losing some thing like love or any other object of desire, buying or selling a thing of value like a car or a dream house, pursuing higher education or “being just where you are.”
Authored by Carol Bolt, who introduces herself in a book as a “professional artist living in Seattle,” suggests a simple exercise to use the book and thus speed up decision-making. Step 1: Hold the closed book in your hand, on your lap, or on a table; step 2: Take 10 or 15 seconds to concentrate on your question. Questions should be phrased closed-end. E.g., “Is the job I am applying for the right one?”. Steps 3 and 4 give you two final procedures.
Executive Read tried this on friends and associates in the office and here are the results: On an executive’s question, “Shall I enroll in a Ph.D. class this semester? – the answer is this: “Is that what you want?” – which is a quote from James Baldwin, author of “Another County.” A man, hooked on toys for the big boys, asked: “Shall I buy a Pajero?” That answer came from James Fenimore Cooper, author of “The Last of Mohicans”: “What is ordered must sooner or later arrive.” (The dreamy-eyed friend just could not disagree!)
A newly-hired executive assistant in the office queried: “Will I have career growth in my new job?” The answer came from Lewis Carroll, author of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” A senior communication associate whispered a question about an erring beloved: “Will I take him back?” The answer was a riddle from Confucius but definitely made the associate smile: “The way is to be found.”
There is a chance that you don’t want the answer. There’s a chance too when you relish an answer especially when it reinforces a fervent wish. To one nervous question, the answer was clear and unequivocal from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, from the “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: “Excellent, Watson, Excellent.” Now, you know that this book can be your handy ally when you are getting someone to say yes to your proposition.
Is this book useful at all? The answer to that question is a story on Sigmund Freud, the famous psychoanalyst. Freud and his niece once discussed how difficult it was for some people to make a decision. He said, “I’ll tell you what I tell them. I ask them to toss a coin.”
His niece said, “I can’t believe it. You, a man of science, guided by senseless chance!” Sigmund answered, “I did not say you should follow blindly what the coin tells you. What I want you to do is to note what the coin indicates. Then look into your own reactions. Ask yourself: Am I pleased? Am I disappointed? That will help you to recognize how you really feel about the matter, deep down inside. With that as a basis, you’ll then be ready to make up your mind and come to the right decision.”
Getting literary giants to narrow your choices and help you make up your mind must be better than tossing a coin. You bet?
by Carol Bolt
Hyperion, New York, 2000
“To be or not to be?” That was Hamlet’s question, as he was caught in a dilemma, seeking an answer to an existential question: shall he choose death, or shall he face a “sea of troubles?”
Hamlet’s soliloquy has survived the test of time. Reason: We creatures and actors of the 21st century have become more and more indecisive because we are faced with a lot lot more options. Not only that. Life has become more and more complex.
Joe Griffith, a renowned public speaker in the United States said: “It’s harder to make decisions today than it ever has been. When I was a kid, there was a soda fountain in a drugstore near my house. They only three flavors – vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry. It was easy to decide. Today when I go into an ice cream store, they have ten times more choices, and I have trouble deciding.”
Here at home, in the not so distant past, we had the simple choices of coffee, tea or … me!? And then, it was a choice between instant coffee and brewed coffee. Today, Starbucks or Seattle’s Best keep you standing at the counter deciding brewed or not brewed, short or tall, flavored or not-flavored, hot or cold, caffeinated or decaffeinated, brewed decaf or instant decaf, hot or cold capuccino – and so on with infinite choices of taste and aroma.
The paradox of the times, however, is that decisions have to be made faster now than ever before. Lee Iacocca, the guy who saved Chrysler, makes clear his bias for quck decision-making by making this requirement from his management team: “The qualities than make a good manager is decisiveness.”
“Whenever I make a bum decision, I just go out and make another,” said former U.S. President Harry S. Truman. This was the same man who ordered the bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. You cannot make a bum decision for so huge a consequence. The advice of Robert Townsend of Avis and author of “Up the Organization,” is a safer one: “Make quick decisions on small risks,” especially when you can change your mind afterwards with minimal losses.
Speaking of quick decisions on small risks, the book “The Literary Book of Answers” provides you an enjoyable exercise in decision-making. Running about 600 pages, has one-liners per page to provide you answers to your questions on keeping or losing some thing like love or any other object of desire, buying or selling a thing of value like a car or a dream house, pursuing higher education or “being just where you are.”
Authored by Carol Bolt, who introduces herself in a book as a “professional artist living in Seattle,” suggests a simple exercise to use the book and thus speed up decision-making. Step 1: Hold the closed book in your hand, on your lap, or on a table; step 2: Take 10 or 15 seconds to concentrate on your question. Questions should be phrased closed-end. E.g., “Is the job I am applying for the right one?”. Steps 3 and 4 give you two final procedures.
Executive Read tried this on friends and associates in the office and here are the results: On an executive’s question, “Shall I enroll in a Ph.D. class this semester? – the answer is this: “Is that what you want?” – which is a quote from James Baldwin, author of “Another County.” A man, hooked on toys for the big boys, asked: “Shall I buy a Pajero?” That answer came from James Fenimore Cooper, author of “The Last of Mohicans”: “What is ordered must sooner or later arrive.” (The dreamy-eyed friend just could not disagree!)
A newly-hired executive assistant in the office queried: “Will I have career growth in my new job?” The answer came from Lewis Carroll, author of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” A senior communication associate whispered a question about an erring beloved: “Will I take him back?” The answer was a riddle from Confucius but definitely made the associate smile: “The way is to be found.”
There is a chance that you don’t want the answer. There’s a chance too when you relish an answer especially when it reinforces a fervent wish. To one nervous question, the answer was clear and unequivocal from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, from the “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: “Excellent, Watson, Excellent.” Now, you know that this book can be your handy ally when you are getting someone to say yes to your proposition.
Is this book useful at all? The answer to that question is a story on Sigmund Freud, the famous psychoanalyst. Freud and his niece once discussed how difficult it was for some people to make a decision. He said, “I’ll tell you what I tell them. I ask them to toss a coin.”
His niece said, “I can’t believe it. You, a man of science, guided by senseless chance!” Sigmund answered, “I did not say you should follow blindly what the coin tells you. What I want you to do is to note what the coin indicates. Then look into your own reactions. Ask yourself: Am I pleased? Am I disappointed? That will help you to recognize how you really feel about the matter, deep down inside. With that as a basis, you’ll then be ready to make up your mind and come to the right decision.”
Getting literary giants to narrow your choices and help you make up your mind must be better than tossing a coin. You bet?
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Words are a potent force to inspire hope, strike terror
“The Irrepressible Churchill”
Compiled by Kay Halle
Robson Books, 2000 reprint
The tragedy that befell the American people — when two passenger planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, when one plane hit and exploded on the Pentagon, and when one other jetliner crashed in the state Pennsylvania — assumed such a depth in human tragedy and such a scale of destruction that officials and reporters admitted that they were at a loss for words.
President George W. Bush read a hastily prepared statement that failed to communicate the severely seared American soul, especially when he called the terrorists “folks”!?. Others used superlatives like “unbelievable,” “the work of madmen,” and the ever-ready label of “terrorists.”
Words were one of the few ways to communicate the shared grief and agony of the entire humankind, the shared fierce tears and anger of the world, and the shared resolve and courage — not only to bring justice and quick retribution but also to rebuild one’s hope and faith with one another.
How we wish we had someone during these times who could rally the troops to fight a common enemy; one who, with words like “with blood, sweat and tears,” could unite an entire nation to resist the invaders; and who, when one battle was won, could draw from his magnificent arsenal of words and thus declare: “This was their finest hour.”
I am referring to the inimitable Winston Churchill, whom the book calls “The Irrepressible Churchill.” There was no television then, no CNN to capture his sound bites and his smirk. He used an old-fashioned radio technology, and — with his booming voice dominating the stutter of guns, roar of fighter planes and endless siren sound — he succeeded in steeling the resolve of nations to win a catastrophic war.
This book (bought in Bangkok a few months ago), written by journalist Kay Halle, who tracked down Churchill for 30 years, shows that Churchill already had the gift of gab and wit early in life – serving him in good stead throughout his tumultuous but no less heroic career.
Some samplers of Churchill’s admirable turn of phrase abound in this rare book (you must check Amazon.com for it, and it’s well worth the web surfing, if I may add).
The wit of Churchill was demonstrated in this famous exchange with American-born Nancy, Lady Astor, when both were weekend guests at Blenheim.
Lady Astor said: “Winston, if I were your wife I’d put poison in your coffee.” And the famous Churchillian reply was classic: “If I were your husband, Nancy, I’d take it.”
Churchill usually always had the last word in any argument. For example, when a former officer of the Admiralty, Lord Charles Beresford, criticized Churchill, he didn’t escape the wordsmith’s acid tongue: “He (Beresford) can best be described as one of those orators who, before they get up, do not know what they are going to say; when they are speaking, do not know what they are saying; and when they have sat down, do not know what they have said.”
On his war rhetoric, the book has a lot to offer the readers. This one quote should be lesson on strategy, when Churchill commented on navy estimates on both sides. He said:
“The offensive power of modern battleships is out of all proportion to their defensive power… If you want to make a true picture in your mind of a battle between great modern ironclad ships, you must not think of it as if it were two men in armour striking at each other with heavy swords. It is more like a battle between two egg-shells striking each other with hammers … The importance of hitting first, and hitting hardest and keeping on hitting … really needs no clearer proof.” (Hear ye, anti-terrorist force!)
Churchill, in fact, has something to say about the value of an aggrieved country to respond from a high moral ground and a sense of righteous indignation, if I may add:
“Moral force is, unhappily, no substitute for armed force, but it is a very great reinforcement.” In another quote, he says: “In war, you don’t have to be nice – you only have to be right.”
His advice about dealing with the Germans then could be useful to those hunting the perpetrators of the airline crashes. He is quoted thus in the book: “Those who fight the Germans fight a stubborn and resourceful foe, a foe in every way worthy of the doom prepared for him.” Substitute the names, and you’ve got a contemporary thought, especially for those driven by fanaticism. In fact, our wordsmith defines “fanatic” as “one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.”
And, if America does go to war, she must be driven by another quotable quote from Churchill: “If we win, nobody will care. If we lose, there will be nobody to care.”
This is the strategic equivalent of the advice I knew since childhood which I now paraphrase: “Win and the world wins with you; lose and you lose alone.”
God bless America, everyone now says, and we join the world wholeheartedly. The words of support came even from known critics if not enemies. But allies America needs right now. And this quote is timely, when Churchill spoke about England’s ally — France:
“There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them.”
The entire world now views the American people with a new eye. There is admiration for their selflessness, their readiness to close ranks — the calm with which they pick up the pieces and the steely resolve to hunt the terrorists. Churchill began doubting Americans, but actually gave allowance for their courage and determination. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the announcement that the U.S. was entering World War II, Churchill had grudging admiration for Americans after all:
“Silly people and there were many … might discount the force of the United States. Some said they were soft, others that they would never be united. They would fool around at a distance. They would never come to grips. They would never stand blood letting. They would be just a vague blurr on the horizon to friend and foe. Now we should see the weakness of this numerous but remote, wealthy, and talkative people. But I had studied the American Civil War … American blood flowed in my veins.”
This book has an abundance of quotes and background of these in the checkered life of this great man. The book, according to “The Times,” is one “to brighten the dullest moments.” Actually it is also meant to brighten one’s hope wherever it is needed.
To his dying day, Churchill was his witty self. The book says: “As he lay dying in the darkened room of a London House at 8 Hyde Park Gate, he said about life: “I am bored with it all.” He quickly added with, maybe, his last breath: “But the journey has been enjoyable and worth making — once!” If you are at a loss for words, check out Winston Churchill. He had the witty words and the eloquent phrases all his irrepressible life.
Compiled by Kay Halle
Robson Books, 2000 reprint
The tragedy that befell the American people — when two passenger planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, when one plane hit and exploded on the Pentagon, and when one other jetliner crashed in the state Pennsylvania — assumed such a depth in human tragedy and such a scale of destruction that officials and reporters admitted that they were at a loss for words.
President George W. Bush read a hastily prepared statement that failed to communicate the severely seared American soul, especially when he called the terrorists “folks”!?. Others used superlatives like “unbelievable,” “the work of madmen,” and the ever-ready label of “terrorists.”
Words were one of the few ways to communicate the shared grief and agony of the entire humankind, the shared fierce tears and anger of the world, and the shared resolve and courage — not only to bring justice and quick retribution but also to rebuild one’s hope and faith with one another.
How we wish we had someone during these times who could rally the troops to fight a common enemy; one who, with words like “with blood, sweat and tears,” could unite an entire nation to resist the invaders; and who, when one battle was won, could draw from his magnificent arsenal of words and thus declare: “This was their finest hour.”
I am referring to the inimitable Winston Churchill, whom the book calls “The Irrepressible Churchill.” There was no television then, no CNN to capture his sound bites and his smirk. He used an old-fashioned radio technology, and — with his booming voice dominating the stutter of guns, roar of fighter planes and endless siren sound — he succeeded in steeling the resolve of nations to win a catastrophic war.
This book (bought in Bangkok a few months ago), written by journalist Kay Halle, who tracked down Churchill for 30 years, shows that Churchill already had the gift of gab and wit early in life – serving him in good stead throughout his tumultuous but no less heroic career.
Some samplers of Churchill’s admirable turn of phrase abound in this rare book (you must check Amazon.com for it, and it’s well worth the web surfing, if I may add).
The wit of Churchill was demonstrated in this famous exchange with American-born Nancy, Lady Astor, when both were weekend guests at Blenheim.
Lady Astor said: “Winston, if I were your wife I’d put poison in your coffee.” And the famous Churchillian reply was classic: “If I were your husband, Nancy, I’d take it.”
Churchill usually always had the last word in any argument. For example, when a former officer of the Admiralty, Lord Charles Beresford, criticized Churchill, he didn’t escape the wordsmith’s acid tongue: “He (Beresford) can best be described as one of those orators who, before they get up, do not know what they are going to say; when they are speaking, do not know what they are saying; and when they have sat down, do not know what they have said.”
On his war rhetoric, the book has a lot to offer the readers. This one quote should be lesson on strategy, when Churchill commented on navy estimates on both sides. He said:
“The offensive power of modern battleships is out of all proportion to their defensive power… If you want to make a true picture in your mind of a battle between great modern ironclad ships, you must not think of it as if it were two men in armour striking at each other with heavy swords. It is more like a battle between two egg-shells striking each other with hammers … The importance of hitting first, and hitting hardest and keeping on hitting … really needs no clearer proof.” (Hear ye, anti-terrorist force!)
Churchill, in fact, has something to say about the value of an aggrieved country to respond from a high moral ground and a sense of righteous indignation, if I may add:
“Moral force is, unhappily, no substitute for armed force, but it is a very great reinforcement.” In another quote, he says: “In war, you don’t have to be nice – you only have to be right.”
His advice about dealing with the Germans then could be useful to those hunting the perpetrators of the airline crashes. He is quoted thus in the book: “Those who fight the Germans fight a stubborn and resourceful foe, a foe in every way worthy of the doom prepared for him.” Substitute the names, and you’ve got a contemporary thought, especially for those driven by fanaticism. In fact, our wordsmith defines “fanatic” as “one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.”
And, if America does go to war, she must be driven by another quotable quote from Churchill: “If we win, nobody will care. If we lose, there will be nobody to care.”
This is the strategic equivalent of the advice I knew since childhood which I now paraphrase: “Win and the world wins with you; lose and you lose alone.”
God bless America, everyone now says, and we join the world wholeheartedly. The words of support came even from known critics if not enemies. But allies America needs right now. And this quote is timely, when Churchill spoke about England’s ally — France:
“There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them.”
The entire world now views the American people with a new eye. There is admiration for their selflessness, their readiness to close ranks — the calm with which they pick up the pieces and the steely resolve to hunt the terrorists. Churchill began doubting Americans, but actually gave allowance for their courage and determination. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the announcement that the U.S. was entering World War II, Churchill had grudging admiration for Americans after all:
“Silly people and there were many … might discount the force of the United States. Some said they were soft, others that they would never be united. They would fool around at a distance. They would never come to grips. They would never stand blood letting. They would be just a vague blurr on the horizon to friend and foe. Now we should see the weakness of this numerous but remote, wealthy, and talkative people. But I had studied the American Civil War … American blood flowed in my veins.”
This book has an abundance of quotes and background of these in the checkered life of this great man. The book, according to “The Times,” is one “to brighten the dullest moments.” Actually it is also meant to brighten one’s hope wherever it is needed.
To his dying day, Churchill was his witty self. The book says: “As he lay dying in the darkened room of a London House at 8 Hyde Park Gate, he said about life: “I am bored with it all.” He quickly added with, maybe, his last breath: “But the journey has been enjoyable and worth making — once!” If you are at a loss for words, check out Winston Churchill. He had the witty words and the eloquent phrases all his irrepressible life.
Sunday, September 09, 2001
Timeless, practical principles in a dynamic workplace
“The Wisdom of Solomon at Work”
By Charles C. Manz, et al
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2001
One remarkable thing is happening in the workplace even in this much bandied about century characterized by speed and frenzied change: The concept of “soul” is reclaiming an area once reserved for revenue generation and profit making. Suddenly, the concrete corporate jungle is now seen as a “living” organism, having a life of its own, influencing the people in it even as the people are in turn giving it “soul.”
Another remarkable trend has been noted. Graduate management schools are churning more and more books that go back to antiquity, retrace the “ancient paths,” and cull from such a journey timeless principles that will confer meaning to an increasingly absurd existence and offer principles that truly keep your body and soul together – in a much deeper sense.
A supreme irony has been noted in this age of high-speed technology: in the midst of an explosion of information, there is very limited understanding; in an age that has put knowledge on a pedestal, there is no wisdom; in a century full of techniques, principles have become elusive.
The book “Wisdom of Solomon at Work” is a noteworthy attempt to distill life and work principles from the lives, words and insights of five known characters of the Hebrew Bible – or the Old Testament as is commonly known to us. And lest you suspect that the viewpoint caters to one form of religion, the authors are quick to add that all four of them represent a religious heritage in the Jewish, Catholic and Protestant traditions – all of which trace their roots to Hebrew.
“The Wisdom of Solomon is a holistic perspective that moves us toward a sense of personal integrity where we desire to boldly act out of a set of beliefs and values regardless of the situation in which we find ourselves,” the authors say, adding that “struggle, challenge, and change are at the core of our wisdom perspective.”
The book chose five Biblical characters with pronounced virtues; faith for Job, courage for David, compassion for Ruth, integrity and justice for Moses, and wisdom for Solomon. The authors add that the virtues are “interactive” – one virtue building on another. To summarize, they say: “Faith can establish the courage to act with compassion.”
Of course, the principles are not as neat as that – because the authors presented the five Biblical characters as “flesh-and-blood,” not convenient caricatures. In other words, they are not saints, only forgiven.
The obvious event to demonstrate David’s courage was his encounter with Goliath, but the authors have chosen to zero in on the Israelite king’s “deeper courage when he faced his own mistakes.” It was David who took a woman who was someone else’s wife, tried many cover-ups to hide his secret sin when Batsheba said “I was pregnant” – and, when everything else failed, he sent Batsheba’s real husband to the frontline and thus die in raging battle. (Our Senate committee hearings discuss cover-up attempts, hidden bank accounts, destroying the evidence and summary executions. Alas, nothing has changed!)
The book has gone even further, as it encourages top executives “to incorporate wisdom into our personal and work lives,” by going through a three-step process: recognize, reconcile and reconstruct.
It was convenient in the past to maintain a dichotomy between “business realities” and “ethics born of ancient Biblical principles.” The book wants the readers to think through the tension and, perhaps, find a common ground. The authors recommend carrying a “spiritual backpack.”
What is inside this “backpack.” It must contain, they say, a mix of stories, legends, and ethical principles from our religious/ethical heritage” that should be handy to the executive when faced with choices and decisions.
You ask: Aren’t spiritual issues passé in a secular world governed by business principles, corporate culture and the world’s best practices? The authors reply: “Spiritual issues are central to the challenges of worklife… Our vast cultural and technological change has moved us to seek sources of social stability, meaning, and purpose.”
Efficiency and productivity – the gods of commerce – could result from effective organizational structures and judicious data analysis; “but spirit and meaning,” if you believe the book, “can often spell the difference between an organization that thrives and one that merely exists.”
DZFE, the only classic station in the Philippines, has been successful because it appeals to hard-nosed businessmen by bringing to its listeners the “finer things in life” – appropriately called the “The Master’s Touch.” This book somehow falls under the category of offering you something finer and deeper – and, yes, rare.
By Charles C. Manz, et al
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2001
One remarkable thing is happening in the workplace even in this much bandied about century characterized by speed and frenzied change: The concept of “soul” is reclaiming an area once reserved for revenue generation and profit making. Suddenly, the concrete corporate jungle is now seen as a “living” organism, having a life of its own, influencing the people in it even as the people are in turn giving it “soul.”
Another remarkable trend has been noted. Graduate management schools are churning more and more books that go back to antiquity, retrace the “ancient paths,” and cull from such a journey timeless principles that will confer meaning to an increasingly absurd existence and offer principles that truly keep your body and soul together – in a much deeper sense.
A supreme irony has been noted in this age of high-speed technology: in the midst of an explosion of information, there is very limited understanding; in an age that has put knowledge on a pedestal, there is no wisdom; in a century full of techniques, principles have become elusive.
The book “Wisdom of Solomon at Work” is a noteworthy attempt to distill life and work principles from the lives, words and insights of five known characters of the Hebrew Bible – or the Old Testament as is commonly known to us. And lest you suspect that the viewpoint caters to one form of religion, the authors are quick to add that all four of them represent a religious heritage in the Jewish, Catholic and Protestant traditions – all of which trace their roots to Hebrew.
“The Wisdom of Solomon is a holistic perspective that moves us toward a sense of personal integrity where we desire to boldly act out of a set of beliefs and values regardless of the situation in which we find ourselves,” the authors say, adding that “struggle, challenge, and change are at the core of our wisdom perspective.”
The book chose five Biblical characters with pronounced virtues; faith for Job, courage for David, compassion for Ruth, integrity and justice for Moses, and wisdom for Solomon. The authors add that the virtues are “interactive” – one virtue building on another. To summarize, they say: “Faith can establish the courage to act with compassion.”
Of course, the principles are not as neat as that – because the authors presented the five Biblical characters as “flesh-and-blood,” not convenient caricatures. In other words, they are not saints, only forgiven.
The obvious event to demonstrate David’s courage was his encounter with Goliath, but the authors have chosen to zero in on the Israelite king’s “deeper courage when he faced his own mistakes.” It was David who took a woman who was someone else’s wife, tried many cover-ups to hide his secret sin when Batsheba said “I was pregnant” – and, when everything else failed, he sent Batsheba’s real husband to the frontline and thus die in raging battle. (Our Senate committee hearings discuss cover-up attempts, hidden bank accounts, destroying the evidence and summary executions. Alas, nothing has changed!)
The book has gone even further, as it encourages top executives “to incorporate wisdom into our personal and work lives,” by going through a three-step process: recognize, reconcile and reconstruct.
It was convenient in the past to maintain a dichotomy between “business realities” and “ethics born of ancient Biblical principles.” The book wants the readers to think through the tension and, perhaps, find a common ground. The authors recommend carrying a “spiritual backpack.”
What is inside this “backpack.” It must contain, they say, a mix of stories, legends, and ethical principles from our religious/ethical heritage” that should be handy to the executive when faced with choices and decisions.
You ask: Aren’t spiritual issues passé in a secular world governed by business principles, corporate culture and the world’s best practices? The authors reply: “Spiritual issues are central to the challenges of worklife… Our vast cultural and technological change has moved us to seek sources of social stability, meaning, and purpose.”
Efficiency and productivity – the gods of commerce – could result from effective organizational structures and judicious data analysis; “but spirit and meaning,” if you believe the book, “can often spell the difference between an organization that thrives and one that merely exists.”
DZFE, the only classic station in the Philippines, has been successful because it appeals to hard-nosed businessmen by bringing to its listeners the “finer things in life” – appropriately called the “The Master’s Touch.” This book somehow falls under the category of offering you something finer and deeper – and, yes, rare.
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