- There is evidence that people want to open up to the spiritual in business and community life but don't know how to. The evidence suggests they are interested in spirituality rather than institutionalised religion.
- Religion and spirituality have been sidelined by secularism. A change of mindset is needed to overcome the common reaction of drawing back when religion or spirituality are raised.
- We need to find the place to outsource leadership with spirituality and to get leaders thinking spiritually. Obama is an example of a leader with a depth of spirituality.
- One issue to overcome is that of inadvertently causing offence. Potential for conflict exists because people don't know how to react to, for example, Muslim or Jewish women.
- Faith groups can assist in community empowerment by providing ways in to communities. Faith groups define identity for some and help their members grow into leadership. We also need to consider how people with no religious faith view spirituality. Sacred spaces in, for example, hospitals need to be places which are open to those with no religious faith.
- We have a responsibility of stewardship towards the planet and its peoples. Our legacy can be one of countering a system which depresses people's expectations in order to raise and exceed expectations.
- The first Muslim was a woman. Mohammad (pbuh) worked for a woman. Half of the first delegation of Muslims were women.
- We are often too cautious through fear of giving offence. Muslims, for example, are not offended by Christians wearing crucifixes.
- Spirituality outside of organised religion is the common ground which creates space for dialogue and which has been the starting point for us in our discussions.
- Spirituality equals meaning. I have been influenced by David Bohm who identified ways in which we misperceive time and space in everyday life. These are the two geometrics that I seek to draw in my wave drawings.
- Religion and spirituality are different poles or spectrums of the same concept and are not often valued. Talk about spirituality often alludes to a sense of difference.
- Spirituality can be a driver for better, more meaningful work. What helps people cope in business is often their value systems.
- For me, Bonus vs Pro Bono means personal benefit vs public good. The faiths commonly value giving to the wider community. St Martin-in-the-Fields is a church which runs a business with the profits funding its work with homeless people. There remain tensions around the way in which these go together.
- The mid-term elections have seen a person of faith (Obama) being slammed for not having sorted out the economy. Baroness Uddin has been criticised as a result of the Standards and Privileges Committee findings. Peter raised the issue of tolerance of imperfection. What happens when the inspiration provided by spiritual leaders is called into question?
- Faith traditions are often perceived as having disempowered women. What can women bring to such traditions?
- The Apprentice may define a part of the issue we are discussing in that it is a competition with one winner which operates on the basis of team exercises. There is an inherent tension in the programme between personal gain and collaborative working which may be symptomatic of the business world.
- Concepts of partnership can be found both in Islam and in the Co-operative movement. Shared equity is not a zero sum game. Such models work but we have moved away from them in our economy.
- A business contribution that benefits the community/wider society may be an attractive concept in the current environment.
- Success could be understood in terms of legacy - taking people with us through empowerment - but this is not valued within society, although this may be beginning to change.
- Those who opted to work in the public sector wouldn't have gone into it in order to cut it. A big political tension currently is the Big Society in relation to the recession.
- The thought that 'bigger is better' has been a part of all our lives and we need to see a new way of sharing resources.
- We don't see spirituality as a resource, instead we see it as a stance. We need to understand spirituality as a resource for seeing higher purpose and for seeing our fellow human beings in a better way.
- Inspirational CEOs are cutting their own salaries.
- Buildings are intractable things to cut.
- Jesus told the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin. Of leaving 99 sheep in order to go after the lost one. However, this was done for the sake of the 100. The 99 were not whole if the one was not with them. The story speaks about the connectedness of us all. We need to think more collaboratively so that no one falls over the edge. Risky efforts have to be made to stop the one from going over the edge; a judgement has to be made about care for the 99 or for the one.
- The House of Lords was founded on feudalism. The history of the UK is built on inequity. There is a question to be asked about whether 'the great and the good' cover up or institutionalise inequity.
- Huge cuts are coming in health and social services. It wasn't hunky dory before the cuts and a debate is needed about how to share.
- I can't be happy if you are unhappy or I can't be safe if you are unhappy, which may be closer to Amartya Sen's phrase. The well being of the least for the well being of all.
- The dead space and human capital freed up by cuts could be used as an incubator for micro or social enterprises.
- Spiritual leaders are the opposite of short-termism, yet leaders in the NHS are often only there for 18 months or so. Faith groups bring the long perspective and a wider awareness of time.
- It is difficult to stay with this territory. Act local, think global. Act in some way for the common good - credit unions, community gardens etc.
- Empirical evidence (a business case) exists for the benefits of workplace spirituality. Once enough pieces have been fitted into the puzzle a paradigm shift will be seen.
- How leaders handle cuts is an expression of spirituality; how they explain cuts, how they engage others with cuts instead of simply imposing cuts.
- Big bonuses for big bosses don't speak in that way.
- The celebration of community groups coming together is needed. Co-production is needed; the public sector and community groups together.
- Mozambican artists have made powerful sculptures from weapons. We need symbolic representations of our issues.
- These ideas could be shared with Guilds and Livery Companies. These began for the benefit of ordinary traders but have in some senses become the reverse of their original purpose.
- The City has a centre for interfaith relations in the St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace and a centre for spirituality in the London Centre for Spirituality. There is also the City Circle within the Muslim community. This may leave scope for a Centre for business ethics and spirituality which could also have an artistic dimension exhibition art, architecture and artefacts and creating visual representations of ethics and economics. This idea may be of interest to the Prince of Wales or could be linked to the space on the Olympic Park that had been proposed as a Mosque site.
Friday 5 November 2010
'Bonus vs Pro Bono' - responses to presentations
'Bonus vs Pro Bono' - Peter Hyson
Twenty years ago, in the course of a discussion on death and near-death experiences with a class of 15 and 16 year-old pupils, I read them a newspaper account, credited to the Daily Mail, about the last person to be executed in this country. Numerous witnesses were present at the execution but over the course of the next 5 – 6 weeks, several hundred people all claimed to have seen or spoken with him. “Wow,” said one, “It really makes you think, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” I agreed, “Especially since what I’ve just told you is how the Daily Mail might well have covered the Resurrection stories of Jesus in the Christian Bible. Stunned silence. Then, after a few moments, a hand went up. “Oh! So you mean it’s not true after all?”
That dichotomy of thinking, that overwriting with preconceptions – or prejudice – often lies at the heart of any discussion about both ‘leadership’ AND ‘value’. And there are as many definitions and assumptions of both leadership AND value as there are people putting them forward. My starting-point is a FiLE paper from 2008 entitled “Shared Faiths’ Response to the credit crunch” and especially its argument that wealth (or value) is far more than just the monetary. My brief is to cover this from my own work and experience and from my own faith perspective. Carte-blanche to share my personal prejudices!
So how have I come to formulate those prejudices – or opinions? Over the course of the last 20 years, in various guises I’ve been working in leadership development as consultant and trainer. I’ve seen, heard and been told of leadership that has ranged from the sublime to the frankly outrageous, immoral and illegal. When I first started, ‘value’ meant ‘cash’ – the role of the leader was purely and simply to make the organisation more efficient and hence more profitable. In some ways ‘plus ca change”!
But amongst some organisations, it had a deeper meaning – the one we’re perhaps more concerned with tonight. And the interesting thing is that the more profile those organisations gave to this wider meaning of value – as a behaviour rather than a commodity – the more successful that organisation was. Why?
At this point, permit me to ask you a question:
Who are the leaders that you most admire? Not necessarily leaders of religion but of politics, of business, of sport, of community. They can be alive or dead, real or imaginary, famous or completely unknown. What it is that makes them stand out? Why exactly do they add value?
LEADERSHIP
In the US
1. Loving/Compassionate/kind
2. Honesty/integrity/authenticity
3. Humble
4. Wise
5. Courageous
6. Faithful, committed (esp to their ideals)
7. Forgiving
8. Calm, centred
9. Passionate
10. Inspire others
11. Visionary
12. Persistent
13. See & develop others’ gifts
Wigglesworth is one of a growing band of researchers & authors talking about ‘spirituality’ as an essential component of outstanding leadership and value.
SO - WHAT IS ‘SPIRITUALITY’? (NOT religion, please!!!)
Zohar & Marshall define spirituality as “our need to place our enterprises in a wider frame of meaning and purpose”. Wigglesworth says, “spirituality is an innate need to connect to something larger than ourselves – something you feel is divine or sacred”.
In 1652, a group of men sat down over coffee in a Coffee Shop in St Michael's Alley, just a few hundred metres from here. Inevitably their thoughts soon turned to business. Deals were done, hands were shaken – and Lloyd’s of London had been born. The City’s financial houses were founded on trust, when individuals looked each other in the eye and shook hands. Their word was their bond. Their coinage of transaction was TRUST. Yet as the 2008 financial crisis unfurled, one of the key components was that those same institutions no longer trusted each other and hence refused to lend to each other!
Given that list of leadership qualities AND the origins of City financial institutions, I want to argue that any discussion of successful leadership and of value (however you define value) must involve spirituality. After all, business success requires outstanding leaders. And for most of use the leaders we most admire exhibit strong presence of those spiritual values Wigglesworth unearthed. So why, especially in times of recession and economic struggle is the silence so deafening?
I think there are two endemic problems:
1. An unchallenged assumption that spirituality and work are like oil and water – never to be mixed.
2. Even where there may be willingness, there is often a lack of a commonly understood and shared vocabulary.
RESEARCH
The 2003 Roffey Park Management Report found that nearly three-quarters of workers are interested in “learning to live the spiritual side of their values”; that 40% of UK managers would value the opportunity to discuss workplace spirituality with their colleagues; that 53% are already experiencing tensions between “the spiritual side of their values and their work” - but that 90% of UK managers believe their organisations have not attempted to discuss the issue of spirituality with their employees[1].
Even more specifically, Cynthia Moe-Lobeda[2] concluded quite unequivocally: “Business ethics is disorientated where workplaces deny spirituality. It becomes a tick-box exercise in compliance rather than fuel to drive the soul of the organisation.” The FiLE paper that I mentioned earlier makes a similar point, alongside some practical suggestions.
For my part, my vision is to see a specially-designed and designated physical space in the centre of The City – a Foundation for Business Ethics and spirituality providing a sanctuary and a crucible where leaders can take time out from the pressures of their work to reflect. It might include sculptures and art specially commissioned to reflect the theme of business ethics and spirituality. Most importantly, it would be accessible to all from any faith tradition or none since it will be about Spirituality.
But I digress. There are, I think, four areas where the qualities of leaders, the adding of value and the contribution of spirituality coincide:
1. An uncommon awareness of TIME & SPACE: One of the characteristics of leaders with a highly developed SQ seems to be a different perception of “time”: not that they have more or less of it but that they have a particular way of spending it. Typically, they will spend more in focussed reflection, stillness and being. Indeed research by Californian Professor Andre Delbecq[3] suggests they deliberately “enter the workplace mindfully” - frequently pausing in the car or before an important meeting or decision to “reflect on their calling as a leader”. Delbecq says his research indicates that, as well as a heightened awareness of “time”, they also have a heightened sense of “space”, often shifting their gaze slightly to take in a favourite icon or symbol, a painting or even visiting a quiet space such as a fountain; they make use of “in-between” moments and thus arrive more focused and empowered. A core competence is contemplation - since this is what enables people to extract wisdom from experience.
2 TOLERANCE OF IMPERFECTION – which is not the same as acceptance of second-best! It is a recognition that none are perfect, that few come to work intending to do a bad job, but that nothing less than a striving for excellence in self and others can fulfil potential. Then people feel valued for themselves and not just as a component in a mechanistic process.
3. A commitment to SERVANT LEADERSHIP - perhaps been too easily dismissed as a recipe for avoiding taking responsibility, as door-mat rather than door-keeper. But as Greenleaf[4] describes it, leaders who desire to serve others will be considering value in terms of:
- Will my influence enable all the people to grow and develop as people, healthier, wiser, freer, more likely themselves to become servants?
- What will be the effect on the least privileged in society?
- What will be the wider impact?
In other words, they have a gardening role as growers of rounded human beings AND a recognition that organisations are part of the communities and societies in which they’re located.
4 RADIATORS OF PEACE, or equanimity. They have their own inner sense of peace and meaning, of their place in the grand order of things and their mission to make things different and better for others in response to what they themselves have received. This is obvious to those around them and is, generally, independent of immediate circumstances – they remain in equilibrium even under pressure or crisis, their behaviours remain consistent and their vision and passion remain focussed. They have a deep sense of spirit or spirituality.
Part of OUR challenge is to not only identify those characteristics of leadership, value and spirituality but also to provide the opportunity, the greenhouse, where they can be nurtured. That truly is a mission that “boldly seeks to go …”!!! THANK YOU!
'Bonus vs Pro Bono' - Baroness Uddin
Thank you for your invitation to be part of what is a timely and necessary discussion within society generally and the world of business in particular.
I hope to bring a perspective as a woman and a Muslim but wish to speak primarily as someone who has seen inspirational leaders in action throughout my involvement in the community and my professional career whether among those supporting vulnerable women and children as a community worker in the East End of London or those with whom I have served in political platform as a councillor and as an active member in the House of Lords
It is a delight to be involved in politics at a time when five Asians, including three Muslim women, have claimed their seats in the House of Commons (building on Labour's fantastic record of progressing women and an equality agenda) and when a Muslim woman, Baroness Warsi, is a member of Cabinet. I have already said publicly that, as a Muslim woman, I am proud of her achievement. In time, I pray that her presence and leadership in mainstream political office will inspire a strong generation of women into public life.
Let me speak firstly, about the inspiration which Islam provides those who take on positions of leadership. Interestingly, and perhaps surprisingly, Islam discourages the practice of seeking leadership; if a person desires it for power and glory rather than serving the people by implementing the divine laws, that person is not fit to occupy it. In a well-known Hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) has said that he who seeks leadership is not fit to assume it.
Islamic moral character requires that leaders emphasize the following five key parameters of Islamic behaviour: justice; trust; righteousness; the struggle towards self-improvement; and promise keeping. A Muslim leader is expected to be just, behave righteously, strive towards self improvement, and never break his word. S/he is to consult with others, especially in areas where s/he is not competent. Islam stresses consultation in all affairs. A leader is expected to bear adversity patiently, and remain forever humble.
A Muslim leader should restrain from behaving unjustly — whether to community members, to customers, to suppliers or any individuals. Muslims believe that a leader with a firm faith (iman) will not get out of responsibility for her/his actions, and will continuously emphasize good deeds.
In Islam a leader must be kind, compassionate and forgiving towards those whom he leads. A leader must also consult the people before taking a decision but once a decision has been made no weakness is shown and the policy be pursued with single-mindedness of purpose, determination and courage. The leader, however, must first articulate the vision and demonstrate the ability to turn it into action by aligning performance with vision to create a
climate of success for the realization of the stated goal.
In summary the qualities for leadership in Islam are: knowledge and hikmah (wisdom, insight); taqwa (love and fear of Allah); ‘adl (justice) and rahmah (compassion); courage and bravery; shura (mutual consultation); decisiveness and being resolute; eloquence; a spirit of self-sacrifice; and sabr (patience). These are the qualities that build and sustain strong communities.
Women play a pivotal role in building strong communities where everyone feels valued, yet women all over the world have had the challenge of tackling stereotypes and breaking through the moulds that have been imposed on them. This is a status quo for women of all the worlds.
Muslim women, in particular, are sympathised with due to perceptions of being oppressed and weak and living in a patriarchal society, as if they / we do not belong to the race of women.
All of us know that some women do fall into that category and fit the stereotype, but just as many women in the world do not subscribe to that experience. Discussions are rare about Bangladeshi, Pakistani or Muslim women in general with reference to their educational and social advancement, except when it refers to them in the context of forced marriage, honour killings and now the live issue of the veil. For many women, these are tragic personal experiences, but we must learn the lessons of empowering women through enabling their economic and educational independence which in turn will ensure that Muslim women are empowered in the big society so that they feel strong and tackle those issues for themselves and for their daughters.
We must stray from confusing women’s empowerment with their role in ‘so called preventing extremism’ - such ideas are preposterous and will indeed further alienate even those who are well educated.
During 2008 and 2009, I chaired the government taskforce looking at ways to increase minority women's participation in public life. It was a cross-party coalition, and I strongly believe that we provided some inspiration for Mr Clegg and Mr Cameron. I have said often that there is no shortage of talented women willing or able to take leadership roles.
I spent 30 years of my life working in a professional and personal capacity with disadvantaged women and their families, and together with others we have enabled those whose voices were mostly unheard and put in place structures and organisations which have afforded many opportunities to participate in the public arena either as volunteers or in official capacity. Although much of these and other programmes continue to have limited impact on ordinary grassroots, economically inactive women, it is worth pointing out that in our journey with the taskforce across different parts of Britain the numbers of women willing to put themselves forward for office took us by enormous surprise. I am pleased to say that there are a number of success stories as a result of some of that work, including that of the noble Baroness, Lady Hussein-Ece.
I believe that this work fundamentally shifted party-political opinions and contributed to the pressure on parties in selecting their candidates.
We know that it is a fact that Muslim women continue to face significant barriers and often with few opportunities to represent themselves, a narrow and closed-minded view of Muslim women prevails.
It is important to recognise that there is no fundamental struggle between Islam and "the West", but a complex interplay of forces relating to issues of gender, social marginalisation and exclusion as well as lack of opportunities.
These forces impede the right of individuals to live lives of dignity and equality, with the misappropriation of religious beliefs in some instances used to justify deprivation of basic human rights.
If we are serious about the empowerment, particularly of minority community and faith groups, to fulfil their individual potential and truly contribute to the community, we must provide them with sufficient educational and recreational opportunities. We know that when all members of society feel included in their community, a real change can occur. Organisations like Faith Regen Foundation and the Jagonari Centre have worked for over a decade to encourage constructive dialogue for disadvantaged women to unleash their potential. Faith Regen is also partnering women's organisations in Malaysia and Bangladesh
Faith Regen’s CEO, Dr Husna Ahmad, who was named in the Queen's Birthday Honours list and received an OBE for her services to disadvantaged people, and the chair of Jagonari, Ruhan Chowdhury, an entrepreneur, are among those I consider as inspirational Muslim leaders. Dr Husna said on receiving her award: “I believe that we all have a social responsibility to work collaboratively to promote opportunities for all and achieve social justice.
We also need to be determined to tackle prejudice and Islamophobia as well as the male discrimination and family pressure that women suffer when seeking employment. Despite these challenges and stereotypes, more and more women, increasingly proactive, are interested in participating in ESOL and information technology classes. This willingness is a massive opportunity to engage women's participation.
Finally, I am intrigued by the Big Society concept. It is made and lived particularly by minority women. It is the background that developed the ghettos of the dilapidated East End of London into a plush Docklands and yuppieland, but it failed to empower the community or to decentralise or share power for ordinary citizens.
The elites of our world have always resisted sharing power and positions. The new economy has demonstrated that, all too well, about those who will always survive against all adversities. We can see the reality of leaving behind us a lost generation of young, talented people in our communities. Pro bono vs Bonus – we need to move beyond lip service into the realm of equity by reflecting the community in our workforce.
Wednesday 3 November 2010
Renegotiating 'value': Bonus vs Pro Bono
'Bonus vs Pro Bono' is the second in our series of Renegotiating 'value' seminars and seeks to explore the value of inspirational leadership in business. The seminar will be held in the St Martin's Hall at St Martin-in-the-Fields (Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4JJ) tomorrow (Thursday 4th November) between 4.00 and 6.30pm.
Here are brief biographies of our seminar speakers, Peter Hyson (Change Perspectives Ltd) and Baroness Uddin:
Here are brief biographies of our seminar speakers, Peter Hyson (Change Perspectives Ltd) and Baroness Uddin:
- In the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a confused Alice seeks directions from the Cheshire Cat. “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," says the Cat. "I don't much care where - " Alice replies. "Then it doesn't much matter which way you go," retorts the Cat. "-- so long as I get somewhere," Alice adds as an explanation. "Oh, you're sure to do that," says the Cat, "if only you walk long enough." In one sense, that might summarise Peter Hyson's life and career to date! For much of it, he’s not necessarily been totally clear where he’s been heading. He’s not one of those people who while they were still in short trousers fixed on a goal in life and single-mindedly pursued it until it was grasped and held aloft in a triumphant fist! The middle distance has often only emerged slowly out of the very definite mists of time. More specifically, that’s manifested itself in his work as a professional swimming coach, a senior teacher, a Church of England vicar, in working with the most senior leaders in leadership development and managing change and, more recently in writing novels and scripts and in TV production. A Handbook for Coaching with Meaning and Spirituality is currently with Routledge. And throughout all those areas, people have been grappling with the question that so perplexed Alice: the area of spirituality, quest for meaning and the drawing to something or someone outside of and greater than ourselves.
- Baroness Uddin was the first Muslim woman in the House of Lords. Born in Bangladesh and brought up in England, she is an advociate of social reforms and equal rights. A formidable champion for women, Lady Uddin was invited to the House of Lords in 1998 for her contribution to the advancement of women's and disability rights. She began her professional and political career in the 1970's, in the East End of London, developing a number of leading edge and well-regarded services and organisations. Many of these have since come to be accepted as benchmarks for sustainable development and community engagement. Baroness Uddin has served on the Government's Select Committee on European Affairs and has chaired several Government task forces, under the auspices of the Prime Minister's office, the Home Office and the FCO. She also chaired the Government's Taskforce on Ethnic Minority Women Councillors.
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