Spirituality is a word that can be tricky to define. As a business owner, I would define spirituality as any connection that we feel to a greater purpose existence or reality than ourselves. When people describe their spiritual experiences, they tend to use words like humbling, connected, deep trust. There are a couple of key themes that we can use within our business.
One example is copywriting and sales. You’ve got to believe in yourself and your product. You need an attitude of service rather than talking endlessly about yourself. You have to listen to your audience and engage them in conversation. You have to care about your audience.
These are all elements of a spiritual being connecting with our target audience. Integrating spirituality into our business is an amazing way to connect with our audience. It helps them feel connected. People today are finding that there is more to life and business than just profits. The hottest buzzwords today are the triple bottom line, which is a commitment to people, planet and profit.
Many people say that it’s about bringing your spiritual values into your workplace. A recent poll published in USA Today found that eight out of 10 people say that workplaces would benefit from having a great sense of spirit within their work environment.
What is spirituality in business? There are a plethora of elements to look at. Some people think it’s just embodying their personal values of integrity honesty and good quality work whereas others think it’s treating their co-workers and employees in a responsible and kind way.
For others, it’s participating in a daily ritual of prayer meditation or intuitive guidance at work. Whereas for others it’s making their business socially responsible in how it impacts the environment how it serves the community and how it helps to create a better world.
We do find that many businesses use the word spirituality loosely and as a generic and inclusive word more as opposed to a religion. Instead of emphasizing belief as religion does, the word spirituality emphasizes how values are applied and embodied. Key spiritual values embraced in a business context include integrity honesty accountability quality cooperation service trustworthiness respect justice service and intuition.
Spirituality and profitability are mutually exclusive. Bringing ethics and spiritual values into the workplace can definitely lead to increased productivity and profitability as well as employee retention, brand reputation and customer loyalty. More and more employers globally are encouraging spirituality as a way to boost loyalty and enhance morale within the workplace.
“SPIRITUALITY COULD BE THE ULTIMATE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN COMMERCE.” Maria Fontana