Perspectives
The complexity and challenges of contemporary life makes spirituality and faith more important for working people.
Given the amount of time we spend at work and the centrality of work’s role in creating meaning for our lives, integrating our foundational beliefs and inward experience into our work lives becomes essential.
The perspectives I share here address how purpose, spirituality, and faith can be more consciously integrated into work, organizations, and leadership.
Some articles are based on spiritual readings and are more reflective in nature. Others are informational and integrate findings from research. The rest discuss ways to meet our spiritual needs by integrating spirituality into our life and work.
Whether you’re looking for a new perspective, seeking inspiration, or just need a break, I hope these articles will speak to your needs. Don’t hesitate to be in touch to ask me questions, make comments, or share your inspirations with me.
Rhonda Pfaltzgraff-Carlson, PhD
Founder and Principal
Observations
These articles discuss the spiritual needs of working people. Unfortunately, they are not frequently discussed in either secular or religious settings. Some of the topics have come from conversations I’ve had with leaders. Others are based solely on my observations. My goal is to address topics that help people satisfy their spiritual needs at work and help them meet the challenges of living through faith.
Wholeness, Spiritual Needs and the Workplace
This article highlights the importance of recognizing spiritual needs in the workplace. It connects the search for wholeness with spirituality and names humans’ spiritual needs. It also describes the ways that spirituality can be recognized in the workplace and asks the reader to consider what they need to be whole.
10 Ways to Call Up the Sacred
Many leaders intend to integrate their faith into their work, but they find that daily demands quickly override their intentions. In this article, I suggest ten simple ways leaders can structure spiritual practices into their work day that can serve to remind them of their core convictions.
Research
In the past twenty years, academic research has found evidence that integrating spirituality and faith into the workplace has positive benefits. These articles discuss the benefits of integrating spirituality and faith into organizations. They also describe how scientific evidence and spiritual wisdom can be integrated to improve the health and well-being of working people, leaders, and organizations.
The Necessity of Spiritual Leadership for Healthcare
Given the high rates of burnout among healthcare professionals, leaders need to cultivate an organizational culture that mitigates burnout. Research has demonstrated that spiritual leadership helps create the cultural characteristics that reduce burnout and increase life satisfaction and commitment.
Encourage Engagement for an Organization’s Spiritual Health
Employee engagement is essential for organizations that are committed to service excellence. This article argues that the core factors that build engagement also build up the kingdom of God. After examining the dimensions of engagement from both psychological and spirituals perspective, I discuss why engagement improves both performance and staff members’ capacity to be loving in the workplace.
Reflections
These articles draw upon spiritual readings, usually the Bible, to draw out truths and encourage leaders. They serve to remind leaders to draw upon their faith. They also provide perspectives that help them rise above the details and make decisions that are in alignment with higher purposes and the greater good.
God Guides Organizations
Leaders need to have confidence in order to guide others toward the accomplishment of a vision. In this article, I reflect on God’s promise to provide us a future with hope and share a couple of stories that describe how God helps leaders be confident as they guide their organizations.
Faithful Leadership
Organizations that want to be faithful to God need to have leaders who are faithful to God. In this article, I draw upon the biblical story of Noah to articulate what it means to be a faithful leader.