Friday, December 7, 2007 at 1:01am
Seeing things whole
Column: Executive Soul
Seeing Things Whole is both a model and a process created by Dick Broholm and David Specht for helping organizational leaders be more attuned to their values. It provides, among other things, a kind of group spiritual direction for its member organizations.
Tom Henry, CEO of Landry's Bicycles in Boston, and the Landry's team receive spiritual direction by participating in the Seeing Things Whole roundtables. The Seeing Things Whole mission statement outlines the challenge it seeks to address:
To the extent that religious communities have consciously addressed themselves to organizations, most often they have been prone to our cultural ambivalence of looking at organizations either with the eyes of unquestioning trust and support or, more frequently, the perspective of cynicism and suspicion. The resulting lack of a balanced perspective that integrates both the pastoral and the prophetic significantly weakens the capacity of religious congregations to thoughtfully engage organizations and those who lead them around the role and purpose and faithful performance of organizations in today's world.
While springing from Christian roots, Seeing Things Whole also seeks to include wisdom from all religious traditions. Its vision includes the following:
"We are drawn by the vision of a world in which organizations measure themselves and are evaluated by others no longer on the basis of the single bottom line, but rather multiple 'bottom lines' which represent concerns for the quality of life of those who work within the organization and for the ways in which the organization relates to and impacts the world around it. ... We believe that [our] insights and learnings ... will powerfully inform not only our understanding about organizational life and leadership, but also our understanding of faith and its relevance to today's world."
Seeing Things Whole sponsors regular roundtables in the Boston area, the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and occasionally in other geographic areas. The roundtables comprised representatives of four to five organizations, and each roundtable meets several times a year. At each 3 1/2-hour roundtable meeting, one member organization presents a current challenge it is facing, and the group, guided by a trained facilitator, uses the Seeing Things Whole model and process to help illuminate the challenge. Tom Henry and the Landry's leadership team sit in the focus chair once a year, receiving spiritual direction as a leadership group on behalf of their company. Throughout the year, Tom and the leadership team stay in touch with the roundtable group by attending the quarterly meetings and offering their support to the other member organizations. In addition, the Landry's team gives a brief update at the end of each quarterly meeting, keeping the roundtable members apprised of their needs, inviting prayer and support. The Seeing Things Whole facilitator also keeps in touch with Tom and the leadership team throughout the year, providing support and spiritual guidance between meetings.
Through letting other leaders into their business challenges, Tom Henry and the Landry's team have received spiritual guidance for their company for more than 14 years. They have found, over the years, that such wisdom is invaluable in helping them articulate and stay true to their core values. The support and accountability they receive from Seeing Things Whole have been a major force in shaping them into the company they are today.
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Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., author of "Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations," works with leaders in business, healthcare, government and non-profits to help them develop spiritual leadership. Visit her website at www.ExecutiveSoul.com. © Copyright 2007 by Margaret Benefiel.
Tom Henry, CEO of Landry's Bicycles in Boston, and the Landry's team receive spiritual direction by participating in the Seeing Things Whole roundtables. The Seeing Things Whole mission statement outlines the challenge it seeks to address:
To the extent that religious communities have consciously addressed themselves to organizations, most often they have been prone to our cultural ambivalence of looking at organizations either with the eyes of unquestioning trust and support or, more frequently, the perspective of cynicism and suspicion. The resulting lack of a balanced perspective that integrates both the pastoral and the prophetic significantly weakens the capacity of religious congregations to thoughtfully engage organizations and those who lead them around the role and purpose and faithful performance of organizations in today's world.
While springing from Christian roots, Seeing Things Whole also seeks to include wisdom from all religious traditions. Its vision includes the following:
"We are drawn by the vision of a world in which organizations measure themselves and are evaluated by others no longer on the basis of the single bottom line, but rather multiple 'bottom lines' which represent concerns for the quality of life of those who work within the organization and for the ways in which the organization relates to and impacts the world around it. ... We believe that [our] insights and learnings ... will powerfully inform not only our understanding about organizational life and leadership, but also our understanding of faith and its relevance to today's world."
Seeing Things Whole sponsors regular roundtables in the Boston area, the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and occasionally in other geographic areas. The roundtables comprised representatives of four to five organizations, and each roundtable meets several times a year. At each 3 1/2-hour roundtable meeting, one member organization presents a current challenge it is facing, and the group, guided by a trained facilitator, uses the Seeing Things Whole model and process to help illuminate the challenge. Tom Henry and the Landry's leadership team sit in the focus chair once a year, receiving spiritual direction as a leadership group on behalf of their company. Throughout the year, Tom and the leadership team stay in touch with the roundtable group by attending the quarterly meetings and offering their support to the other member organizations. In addition, the Landry's team gives a brief update at the end of each quarterly meeting, keeping the roundtable members apprised of their needs, inviting prayer and support. The Seeing Things Whole facilitator also keeps in touch with Tom and the leadership team throughout the year, providing support and spiritual guidance between meetings.
Through letting other leaders into their business challenges, Tom Henry and the Landry's team have received spiritual guidance for their company for more than 14 years. They have found, over the years, that such wisdom is invaluable in helping them articulate and stay true to their core values. The support and accountability they receive from Seeing Things Whole have been a major force in shaping them into the company they are today.
— — —
Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., author of "Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations," works with leaders in business, healthcare, government and non-profits to help them develop spiritual leadership. Visit her website at www.ExecutiveSoul.com. © Copyright 2007 by Margaret Benefiel.