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August 30, 2006

Love at Work

We've just been reading World Vision Australia CEO, Tim Costello's chapter in the recent Australian Institute of Management publication, Love @ Work.

It looks like we've been reading pretty much the same books as Tim over the last five years. Well, that's probably an unfair comparison. Reading the chapter we think Tim may have read many more books than we have in that time. But let's say we've read most of the books he refers to.

We started with the last chapter and haven't looked at the others yet but we can say it is compulsory reading for anyone with an interest in "leading with heart".

Tim reviews social movements through the ages and looks at what motivates people like William Wilberforce . We hadn't know that 45 years elapsed between the time Wilberforce

first presented evidence to a committee of the Privy Council in 17888 at the age of 29...until the final Commons reading on 26 July 1833 abolishing slavery in all British colonies. [and that] Wilberforce died three days later.

For all that, this is no sentimental soft motivational piece. Costello carefully, painstakingly and forcefully constructs his argument and finds room for critiques of many modern movements.

We rather like his calling of so called "Gurus" and consultants as charlatans. (Of course the latter title does not apply to ourselves.) Mission statements such as Exxon's "The customer comes first" get revealed for what they are — platitudes designed to hide the truth that senior executives come first (thanks to a reference to Art Kleiner ).

Tim uses culture change "guru" Ed Schein's willingness to compare his methods to those used against POWs in communist prison camps as one example of how the latest "spirituality at work" movement may in fact be just another method to bleed employees dry of not only their physical and emotional health but of their souls as well.

We have quite some respect for the group Costello regards we think positively but with caution — Senge, Kahane, Jaworski Kleiner and Danah Zohar :

Their books have a complex mixture of personal narrative, management theory, tribal wisdom and New Age views on particle physics and human nature.

Through all this he builds a dilemma around spirituality at work. On the one had it may satisfy the need to find fulfillment at work and bring more of ourselves to creative solution making. On the other hand is the ever present danger of misuse and abuse.

Tim quite beautifully creates the argument that perhaps the solution to this dilemma is not to think about spirituality so much as think about Love.

Some have wondered whether such altruistic love that transcends ordinary human limits might require and inflow of love from a higher source. But whatever faith background one does or does not come from, altruistic love is at the core of what makes individuals, families and societies whole, The very fabric of society is held together by those people and associations who work for the common good and not their self-interest alone.

We hope you buy the book.

Posted by chriscurnow at August 30, 2006 8:18 PM

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