#ebbfspirit — from believing in to implementing spiritual principles in your organization: mind the gap (with event keynoter Larry Miller)

Below a few highlights of the opportunity that people from around the world took to interact with #ebbfspirit international event speaker Larry Miller.

He answered questions on the challenge of designing into your organizations the systems, structures and habit patterns that reflect principles like justice, consultation, unity or moderation.

See the topic of the next ebbf online video conference
You can also explore the broader theme of why and how the spiritual enterprise can be part of ethical business building the future, with like-minded business people and entrepreneurs from around the world by coming physically to the international event: http://ebbf.org/event/ebbf-spiritual-enterprise/

We asked Larry where do we start implementing new principles and change?

“Start by listening, a psychologist starts by listening not by talking. It is fundamental to understand the issues first, to empathise with what your team members are feeling and experiencing.”

“Also I love a quote I read recently — you don’t have to change, survival is not mandatory. — which is a very stark reminder that the moment to seek new ways forward is here and now. It is not something we can postpone, we need to find the best ways to harness the need for chance to inspire positive, value-creating change.

Is today’s world too competitive for spiritual and collaborative values?

“I feel we have actually moved away from the zero sum game, in today’s business I can do well and you can do well, we can both benefit from collaborating. I give you the example of a number of Udemy courses that I am giving. In this online platform you’d think that all professors there would be competing to get more students and be very scarce with sharing advice to other newly arrived professors. It is quite the contrary: you see Udemy instructors sharing best practices very openly and actually answering questions and doubts of other professors. The collaborative atmosphere you live there is contagious and you see more and more help shared making the overall platform more successful and the parts, the professors gaining knowledge, expertise and becoming more effective as a consequence. Very distant from the zero-sum game you win I lose of the past.

What are some of the first principles we should implement if we want to create a spiritual enterprise?

Here Larry referred back to his book “The Spiritual Enterprise” and to the “top 8 principles” that he suggested there (see image).

“principles are words that can begin with words and end with words, what about behaviours?” Larry went on to highlight that just listing series of principles is definitely not enough, you need to foster coherent behaviours, “the lead by example is particularly important when introducing new principles.”

“just as important if there is a consequence to actions, then people will pay more attention to actually applying values. So what consequences do you want to build in an organisation? what incentives for actions coherent with principles and what disincentives to break negative behavioural habits and culture?”

How can we address the resistance to spiritual principles in our workplaces?

“There is aways resistance, we live and operate in a culture of habit, of habit patterns and it is the nature of habits to create resistance.

There is no way of avoiding resistance, instead to start the process of overcome it you should acknowledge it and even legitimize it. if you understand that, then you will understand that real change in culture happens over time.

You should create the mechanisms that cause change and you should have the patience to see results arrive. You should also accept the fact that not all people are going to change at the same speed.

Giving a very simplified model for change:
- you define the change you want,
- you set the principles and behaviours, both the word and the coherent actions
- you create the incentives for positive change
if selfish behaviours in an organization pays off, you will have more of that. Instead if collaborative behaviour pays off you will get a collaborative culture where you work.

Just like if you watch a sports match, if you were given the final result at the beginning no one would pay attention, instead by seeing the score evolve over time, the clear numbers showing who is winning, that is what gets people attention, they keep looking at that scoreline, they get engaged and drawn in.”

Engage with Larry and +20 sessions in ebbf’s four day international event