Lead with spirit but don’t get spiritual.
There is nothing wrong with having a mindful, spiritual, philosophical, or well-reasoned approach in business. In fact, it’s a great leadership tool.
There is something wrong with injecting that into the daily business. Everyone respects thoughtful leaders. They respect a position or perspective that drives company culture. But what do employees and staff respect most?
Space. A safe space to earn a living without compromising their personal space. If a corporation is a legal person, it should respect the people it’s made of.
“Corporate personhood is the legal notion that a corporation, separately from its associated human beings (like owners, managers, or employees), has at least some of the legal rights and responsibilities enjoyed by natural persons.[1] In the United States and most countries, corporations, as legal persons, have a right to enter into contracts with other parties and to sue or be sued in court in the same way as natural persons or unincorporated associations of persons.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_personhood
This definition is not a free pass. Owners and managers should avoid leading culture into hostility or conflict, no matter how well-intended. Leading by example, should be enough to drive culture naturally. Of course, there are rules and regulations to help guide work protections, but nothing protects the people from overzealous leaders who dogmatically assault culture.
Why is this important? You are missing the best of people when you drive them to conform, collapse, or leave. Having a strong basis for your beliefs or culture is perfectly acceptable, but the best solutions tend to come from diversity. If you think that’s not important, think about your customers and their diversity. If you want a broad appeal for your company, start with your employees.
A simple mistake can come from an overly dogmatic culture. A customer service representative insults customers while trying to explain positions the company takes internally. A salesperson mistreats new customers because they don’t fit a belief system, or new hires are screened out by staff bias. Ultimately the company can be a casualty in the politically correct cancel culture public relation wars.
In this time of great division and polarization, we need leaders driven by compassion and empathy. If a corporation is a person made of persons, it should allow them to make a difference through products and services that create value without compromise.
