Spirit-driven brand of management

I WAS happy to learn that a prestigious school is offering a course on advanced management that would effectively integrate spiritual inputs into all the techniques and methods of managing big companies.

In fact, these spiritual inputs are not only adjuncts to the course but rather are made as the principal driving and constructing force of all the elements involved in management.

The course is offered to CEOs and even owners of business entities, a bold package that hopefully will contribute to improving the business climate of the Asia-Pacific region. The region, as touted, is on its way to a kind of integration that for sure would boost economic activities.

It’s really about time that we do some “carpe diem,” seizing the moment to be consistent with the deepest reaches of our faith when we do business. From there, let’s hope that such approach can spread to other fields of human concerns, our politics, most especially.

We need to be clearly convinced that doing business, for example, even if it is immediately involved with money and profit, should be a way of sanctification for everyone involved there, and also a way to do apostolate, to help one another attain the ultimate goal in life—our reconciliation with God, our creator and father.

We need to overcome the dichotomy, the awkwardness, the lack of proper understanding that usually distorts our desire to make our human activities conform to human and Christian standards.

These human concerns, which actually reflect our needs, should not be held captive only by the criteria of profitability, efficiency and effectiveness, popularity, power and wealth.

While these values have their role to play in our life, we have to realize that they are meaningless and potentially dangerous when not properly inspired by the spirit of truth, love, justice and mercy, and oriented toward the common good. We need to get our act together.

This definitely is not an easy task. The other day, I was asked to bless a business process outsourcing (BPO) office. Rather small, occupying only a small space on the 16th floor of building in the business center of Cebu, it only had a few tables with computers manned by young people.

When I asked about the details of the business, I was amazed at what I imagined was the scope and range of the network that office was involved in. The work was going to be the whole day, 24/7, and I was already thinking about how those young people can cope with the burden of their job.

Not only was I concerned about their physical health, but more importantly, I worried about their spiritual health. Work is supposed to be a gift from God, a way to sanctify oneself and others, a means to participate intimately in the ongoing providence of God. But all these may just be negated by the mere physical demands of the job.

This is the challenge that has to be faced. The proper spirit of work, the one that comes from God and is part of our nature, should be properly taken care of so that it can be lived well and become fruitful. We need to avoid getting it thwarted by mere technical requirements of work.

This is a tremendous challenge that would require massive effort, involving people who are well-formed and consistent in their faith as it impacts on their profession and other human concerns. If the quantitative aspect of this concern is already overwhelming, the qualitative requirement is even a lot more.

Truth is, we need to cover a very big area that needs to be worked out yet. Again, just the other day, while visiting Davao, I happen to stay in a lent house just beside the highway. I could not help but notice the heavy traffic of container vans passing practically the whole day.

I then imagined the number of people involved in that traffic—the drivers, the laborers, then the managers and other people responsible for that business, then the clients or customers of whatever products those container vans were carrying.

I imagined their state of spiritual life, their understanding and attitude toward their work. I could not help but suspect that the spiritual and moral aspects of their work must be all but disregarded or at least sidelined.

That is why I was happy that an initiative like an advanced management course meant for CEOs of big companies that makes spirituality its driving principle is offered, because I believe it will make a big difference in improving our work attitudes.