Several years ago William spoke at a large business symposium in New Delhi on the many varied aspects of becoming a spiritual-based leader in the workplace. During the question and answer session, a business executive asked him in a strong tone, "You've talked about how you can be spiritual and successful in business at the same time. India is known to be a spiritual nation. If we're so spiritual, why aren't we more successful in business and why is there so much corruption?"

William answered, "Over the last 10 years in the US, there has been a growing awareness of a distinction that you may or may not make here in India - the distinction between "being spiritual" and "being religious."

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership

Read more here: » Spiritual Based Leadership: Distinguishing Between Spirituality And Religion At Work  

What would you think if a senior vice-president from a multinational telecom firm said to you: Spirituality is very important to me as a person. I believe in God strongly. If ever there's a time for spiritual leadership, it's now. You must connect with a person's soul, at the deepest core. It can sometimes be lonely but you also feel happy and grounded inside. You also embrace your own humanness and imperfections and it keeps you humble as a leader and yet still strong.

She, and other executives like her, have helped us realise that spirituality is an emerging basis for highly successful business leadership. While these words are an inspiration to many, they can also evoke scepticism, doubt, and criticism.

To put these reactions into perspective, we've found that over the last 100 years, four distinct contexts of leadership have emerged in business. Each context represents a fundamental change in how we view the nature of business leadership and will therefore shape the perspectives and reactions of its leaders.

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership

Read more here: » Spiritual Based Leadership: Spirituality as the Basis for Business Leadership  

If you are a corporate leader and you would like to include spirituality in your organisation's culture, you are not alone.

Business leaders we've met, and management students sometimes ask us if it's really possible to make spirituality an overt and explicit part of an organisational culture - without causing religious conflicts or being inappropriate to an otherwise secular way of operating.

(See also: Corporate Spirituality , Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Corporate Spirituality: Corporate Spirituality Encourages Inclusion  

Twenty-five union leaders showed up one morning for a surprise visit to the company president. Security officers called the president for instructions. "Send them up to my office," he said - and told his assistant to "prepare tea and coffee for 25." The leaders didn't trust the president to handle an important HR issue fairly. They stood and shouted what they were unhappy about.

He spoke calmly and respectfully, inviting them to sit and enjoy their drink while they talked. He reassured them that he'd quit before compromising his principles for fair and just hearings - and would reach a judgment based purely on merit, without giving in to favouritism and pressure.

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership

Read more here: » Spiritual Based Leadership: Becoming A Spiritual-Based Leader  

All religions are unanimous in denouncing the amassing of wealth. The Bible declares: Easier indeed it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. "Wealth undoes a man" - artham anartham, said Adi Sankaracharya. Fakiri, meaning voluntary poverty, is a way of life highly commended by the Sufi saints. Aparigraha, non-possession, is a value emphasised by the Bhagavad Gita.

(See also: Spirituality at workplace , Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Spirituality at workplace: Bapu's Corporate Code of Conduct  

There's this story about a writer who drifted into journalism. Sent to a distant island to cover a civil war, he happily lazed around in a beach house, watched spectacular sunrises and breathtaking sunsets, and occasionally heard the distant 'musical' rumble of guns.

He faithfully recorded all this, and was promptly sacked for missing the 'big story'. But while he was an utter failure as a journalist, wasn't he an astute observer of the relative truth of the waking state?

(See also: Spirituality and Journalism , Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Spirituality and Journalism: Journalists Need A Loving Detachment  

Today, there is a perceptible shift in the way business operates in the world - from a mechanistic and linear view to a more organic and holistic one. Decisions are more often peoplecentred. Business ethics have assumed importance.

Corporates no longer search for the elusive 'best talent'; they are seeking ways to realise the best in existing talent.

(See also: Corporate Spirituality , Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Corporate Spirituality: A Holistic Way of Doing Business  

Does the recent interest exhibited in non-fiction titles such as The Soul of Business, A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America, The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace, The Three-Minute Meditation etc in the US point to the possible evolution of the "enlightened corporate sector"?

Do Indian managers, born in a land that has offered "yoga and meditation" to the world corporate sector (to overcome stress), have the "first-mover advantage"? These are the questions that should interest "enlightened" managers in "progressive" Indian corporations.

(See also: Spirituality at workplace , Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Spirituality at workplace: Uses of Spirituality At the Workplace  

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna explains the virtues of detached action. As a professional manager, I find that there's a lot in the Gita that makes me a better practitioner of the art and craft of management. It is, I have discovered, a work on the philosophy of work.

My favourite shloka from Chapter II contains the essence of the Gita: "You have the right only to action, never to the fruits thereof; let not the fruit of your action be your motive; nor let there be any attachment to inaction."

(See also: Spirituality at workplace , Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Spirituality at workplace: Karmayogi Managers, Maximum Benefits  

Sahaja Yoga and the Workplace

Most of us spend a lot of time at work and we all dream about a workplace where we could deal with enlightened people, integrate work and family life in a balanced and dharmic way, and (bottom line) enjoy what we do and the environment in which we do it.

The reality shows that conventional management practices no longer work. What is more, employees and managers are more and more stressed and are looking for solutions to their problems. The good news is than an increasing number of business people are aware that the rational has its limits and that the solution may come from very different directions such as the spiritual path and Sahaja Yoga in particular.

Read more here: » Sahaja Yoga: Sahaja Yoga and the Workplace

Some say a critical mass of more conscious individuals can shift our evolution away from wanton destruction toward a positive future for living things on the planet. Bay-area researcher Paul Ray has found that we may be living through a rare population mind-set shift -- something that happens only once or twice a millennium. A growing number of people, according to Ray's research, express concern about ecological sustainability (green issues) and a core group express a commitment to personal and spiritual development in addition. He calls these individuals "Cultural Creatives".

Read more here: » Cultural Creatives: Cultural Creatives Making a Difference for the Future

In many countries, including the United States and United Kingdom, corporate profits are taxed at a corporate tax rate, and dividends paid to shareholders are taxed at a separate rate. Such a system is sometimes referred to as "double taxation," because any profits distributed to shareholders will eventually be taxed twice. One solution to this (as in the case of UK tax system) is for the recipient of the dividend to be entitled to a tax credit which addresses the fact that the profits represented by the dividend have already been taxed. The company profit being passed on is therefore effectively only taxed at the rate of t ...

See also:

Corporation, Corporation - Legal status, Corporation - Ownership and control, Corporation - Formation, Corporation - Naming, Corporation - Unresolved issues, Corporation - Origins, Corporation - Etymology, Corporation - Pre-modern corporations, Corporation - Development of modern commercial corporations, Corporation - Types of corporations, Corporation - For-profit and non-profit, Corporation - Closely-held and public, Corporation - Multinational corporations, Corporation - National features, Corporation - United States, Corporation - Canada, Corporation - German-speaking countries, Corporation - Corporate taxation, Corporation - Other commercial entities, Corporation - Quotes, Corporation - Lists, Corporation - Documentary

Read more here: » Corporation: Encyclopedia II - Corporation - Corporate taxation

Tom Chappell and his wife co-founded the American company Tom's of Maine in 1971 on the principles of customer-focused, environmentally-conscious health products. As the company grew, profit maximisation began to dominate business planning, and Tom considered selling the business, as it was no longer fulfilling to him.

But in 1989, a new degree of spirituality awakened in him, and he called a special board meeting to create a new strategy and culture based on, "Respecting people for who they are and not for what they can do for us."

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership

Read more here: » Spiritual Based Leadership: Engaging Employees In A Spiritual Dialogue  

While searching through some quotes from our spiritual teacher, we found one that has left a profound impression on us. It continually invites us to stop and ponder as to how it can be applied by leaders in the workplace.

If man is valued at his true worth, and treated as a Divine Spark enclosed in the body, then he will rise into new heights of achievement and produce all the necessities of life in profusion. He will not grab or cheat; he will be a good worker, a pure person, and a sincere spiritual aspirant. (Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IX)

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership

Read more here: » Spiritual Based Leadership: Valuing The "True Worth" Of Those You Lead  

Many years ago, the Hewlett-Packard Corporation surveyed their 200 most consistently successful leaders to discover their common management practises. One of their key practises was to create a set of values for their own workgroup, independent of but related to the company values. Then they measured every decision they made in the workgroup according to these values.

You as a leader can also do this by asking each person in your workgroup to identify one personal value they would like to have incorporated into the way your group works, day-to-day.

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership

Read more here: » Spiritual Based Leadership: Creating A Group Spiritual Theme  

One of the questions we love to ask spiritual-based executives is, "How do you define business success?" While their answers are as unique and diverse as their personalities, invariably they have the same theme: to promote the inner happiness and fulfilment of everyone involved, and to sincerely make a positive contribution.

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership

Read more here: » Spiritual Based Leadership: Defining Business Success  

Think back to your grade school experience. Did you look forward to school? Did you truly enjoy school? Did you feel that what you were learning was meaningful and relevant to your life? Were you able to explore your true interests and fully develop your innate abilities?

If you answered "no" to any of the above questions, how would your school experience have had to be different for you to be able to say "yes"?

Now, imagine if you had attended a school where the only curriculum you followed was the one you created by discovering and exploring your interests. Imagine if you were not tested unless you asked to be. Imagine if electing your teachers was a normal yearly affair. And imagine if it all happened in a respectful, democratic community.

(See also: Indigo Children, What is Indigo Children, Parenting Indigo Children, Adult Indigo, Indigo Children Channeling)

Read more here: » Indigo Children: And Now for a School that is Completely Different  

Every leader knows that it's vitally important to stay in touch with those whom they lead and others who are impacted by their leadership (i.e., the stakeholders of their organisation). But how is it possible to stay genuinely aware of the things that are most meaningful to these people, especially if they have diverse and often differing views?

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership

Read more here: » Spiritual Based Leadership: Hosting Conversations That Matter  

Have you ever had a heart-to-heart conversation with a colleague, or small group at work, that left you feeling inspired and motivated? Have you ever wished that your organisation could be filled with these types of conversations, rather than the more typical "superficial" conversations?

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership

Read more here: » Spiritual Based Leadership: The Wholeness of Meaningful Conversation  

There are various types of corporations throughout the world. Corporation - United States. In the United States, several corporate forms exist; the name of "corporation" generally applies to a business, run for profit, to which one of the states of the United States has granted a corporate charter. American corporations often charter as a Delaware Corporation in Delaware, which charges no tax on activities outside the state and has courts experienced in commercial law. Corporations set up for privacy or as ...

See also:

Corporation, Corporation - Legal status, Corporation - Ownership and control, Corporation - Formation, Corporation - Naming, Corporation - Unresolved issues, Corporation - Origins, Corporation - Etymology, Corporation - Pre-modern corporations, Corporation - Development of modern commercial corporations, Corporation - Types of corporations, Corporation - For-profit and non-profit, Corporation - Closely-held and public, Corporation - Multinational corporations, Corporation - National features, Corporation - United States, Corporation - Canada, Corporation - German-speaking countries, Corporation - Corporate taxation, Corporation - Other commercial entities, Corporation - Quotes, Corporation - Lists, Corporation - Documentary

Read more here: » Corporation: Encyclopedia II - Corporation - National features