The new business model – Baha’i style

August 31, 2008 at 6:34 am (Baha'i, Career, Entrepreneur, Faith, Humanity, Mystery, Work, business, life balance, livelihood, work as worship)
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Oh, if only it were that easy!   :-)

In my last blog, I explored the idea of service to the Faith within the structure of a for-profit business.  I tentatively concluded that yes, this was an acceptable thing.  But that’s not the end of it, is it?  Obviously, many traditional ”old world” business practices would be inappropriate in an enterprise that endeavours to spread the word about Baha’u'llah. 

What would be appropriate?  Now that is an interesting puzzle indeed!

I have actually been working on a business plan for Verdanta, and in it I was asked to describe the corporate culture.  What would it be like to work there?  So this isn’t just a pie out of the clear blue sky question.  I really want to know, what makes a Baha’i business different?

Two things spring immediately to mind: the first is operating the business based on the writings of Baha’u'llah and Abdu’l-Baha.  The second is the spiritual consequences of doing it wrong.  I guess the place to start is exploring what they have to say that’s relevant to the situation. 

Well, Baha’u'llah told us that ”Truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues,” so that’s probably a good place to start.  A Baha’i business must be impeccably honest.  Dealing honestly with suppliers, customers and employees, paying bills on time, and following through on commitments all fall within that maxim.  But so do not fudging numbers, not lying by omission, and not taking questionable “gray area” tax deductions. 

Abdu’l-Baha has said that “With education [the inner reality of man] can achieve all excellence; devoid of education it will stay on, at the lowest point of imperfection,” so constant and continuous education must be built into the structure of a Baha’i business.  Everyone in the organization should be allowed – and encouraged – to learn about new things, to gain new skills, and develop latent talents.  Personally, I can say that starting a business is a completely new thing for me, and I learn so much every day that my head hurts from all the neural pathway construction!

Baha’u'llah has also stated that “Work done in the spirit of service is the highest form of worship.”  I don’t know about anyone else, but if the work I do is equivalent to worship, then I’m going to make darn sure I’m working to the absolute utmost of my ability.  Which means excellence and perfection must be the norm, not only for the members of the organization, but also for all products produced by them. 

And since unity is the central principle of the Baha’i Faith, unity must also be a primary goal within the organization.  Most companies today have no clue what that might look like, let alone harbor any realistic expectations of achieving it.  But if you can’t think it, you can’t achieve it.  Fortunately, “So powerful is the light of unity that it can illumine the whole earth.” And where unity is the expectation, it can be accomplished.   

Of course, backbiting would have no place within a healthy Baha’i business, because “backbiting quencheth the light of the heart, and extinguisheth the life of the soul.” The company culture should be shaped such that everyone knows backbiting is unacceptable. 

I could go on and on, but what I notice in writing this is that a Baha’i business must strive for the same spiritual perfections that individual Baha’is strive for. 

Hmmm.  One last quote comes to mind, and that is ”Bring thyself to account each day, ere thou art summoned to a reckoning.”  It seems that I must not only bring myself to account each day, I must also bring to account the dealings of my business, for they ultimately reflect back on me and my spiritual progress. 

Wow.  How different would the world be today if all our leaders felt that way?

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Exploring for-profit service: Does profit negate the service?

August 30, 2008 at 6:00 am (Baha'i, Career, Faith, Humanity, Mystery, Prayer, Religion, Service, Work, livelihood, perception, work as worship)
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Inside my head

I’m struggling with a conundrum: does “service” necessarily imply “without compensation?”  Must all service rendered to the Baha’i Faith be for free, or can one serve the Faith and earn a living from that service?   I believe there exists in our community a perception that service to the Faith should be offered up voluntarily, without compensation.  I admit to feeling that way myself.  But then I had the idea for this venture, and suddenly I was no longer sure that the matter was so black and white.  Here is why: there are some things which are simply too big for one person (or even a group of people)  to undertake solely on a volunteer basis.  Which means that if the job that needs to be done costs too much in the way of time, money or effort, it simply won’t get done.  I’ve spoken with several people who think that what I propose to do is very important to the Baha’i community.  Many before me have felt the same way.  They tried but failed.  (I’ve spoken to five people myself.)  I’m guessing that the reason they failed is because they wanted to do it “as a service to the community,” aka “for free.”  But those people had jobs and lives which didn’t leave them with enough time/money/energy to see the project through to the end. 

I’m very fortunate because at the moment, I have all these resources and a supportive (non-Baha’i) husband who is willing to let me give it a go.  However, if things don’t work out, I will eventually have to go find a paying job, which will doom my efforts as well. 

I really want to see this venture succeed.  Not for my sake, but for the sake of all the people who could potentially hear the name of Baha’u'llah through it.  But that can only happen if Verdanta can pay for itself, with a little left over to contribute to the support of my family.  Knowing all this, I am at peace running this business as a for-profit business. 

Enter: “others” 

I recently received an email from a colleague whose comment I thought meant he felt service to the Faith should be offered up for free.  (I apologize if I’m misrepresenting his feelings on this; I may be projecting my own confliction onto him).  The issue is, should this perception prove prevalent, it could cripple Verdanta  before it even gets off the ground.

Baha’u'llah tells us to strive to ”render service to the world of humanity.”   He also tells us that earning a livelihood “is a duty which, in this most great Revelation, hath been prescribed unto every one, and is accounted in the sight of God as a goodly deed.” 

Abdu’l-Baha told us to “Trust in God and engage in your work and practice economy; the confirmations of God shall descend and you will be enabled to pay off your debts. Be ye occupied always with the mention of Bahá’u'lláh and seek ye no other hope and desire save Him.” (Baha’i World Faith, p. 375)

So earning a living is a goodly deed, and the mission of my proposed occupation is to “be always occupied with the mention of Baha’u'llah.”  Often we think of these things as separate and distinct, but why?  What would Baha’u'llah say about a job that earns money AND serves the Faith?  I’d like to think He would be happy about it. 

The other aspect of service is wanting to serve as many people as possible.  If I do this on a volunteer basis, I will be limited in the number people I will ultimately serve.  Why?  Because I will have to go out and find a paying job, thereby leaving me much less time (and even less energy) to tackle something as ambitious as what I am proposing. 

Service: free or fee?

The culture I live in – America – loves to think of everything in terms of either/or.  But the heart and soul of the Baha’i Faith is based on “both/and.”  Is science right or religion?  They both are.  Jesus or Muhammad?  Both.  So can I serve the Baha’i community and earn a living?   I believe I can, but ultimately, it is up to Baha’u'llah. I lay all my affairs in His capable hands, and I pray that He only let me succeed if He deems this venture good and worthy.

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Overcoming Fear and Doubt on the Road to Success

August 25, 2008 at 11:58 pm (Baha'i, Bliss, Career, Faith, Mystery, Passion, Work, spirituality)
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Earlier this year, when the very first thought of this new career path crossed my mind, I immediately dismissed it.  Why?  Because it was way too scary: too many things I didn’t know, too many people I would need to meet, too many skills I would need to acquire.  But somehow, here I am, well on my way down that new, scary path. 

One of the hardest things to do, regardless of what path you choose, is to overcome fear and doubt, especially when contemplating a new path.  It helps to have a few tools in your tool box to handle them.  One of the tools I use to deal with fear and doubt is faith.  I have faith that the path I am on is the right path for me at this time.  Beyond that, I have faith that if I am on the wrong path, it will be made obvious to me by closed doors and failed opportunities.  It may take me a while to catch on that the door of opportunity has closed, but eventually I will, and then I can start checking for open windows. 

Let me give you an example.  It took me two tries to write a thesis for my Master’s degree.  The first time, I chose a topic that seemed perfect.  But by the end of the second semester, I hated my topic, I hadn’t even completed my lit review, and I had lost three committee members including my chair.  I was miserable, but I persevered, gutting it out to the end of the semester. 

That summer, I threw up my hands and said “That’s it! I give up.  I’m reading what I want to read for a while!”  At the end of the summer, I had found a new topic, one which energized and excited me.  But it was totally different than my original topic.  To switch would mean dumping a years worth of work, and I didn’t really think anyone but me would interested in what I wanted to write about.  Talk about fear and doubt!  Eventually, I did toss that first thesis, starting over completely from scratch.  And was it worth it!  My second thesis was amazing.  I loved writing it, and I loved the final product.  A far cry from my first effort!

What does all that mean?  When making a decision that will affect the direction of your life, choose a path and have faith that it’s the correct one.  Have faith that God, or the Universe, or the Creator, whatever you call that unknowable essence that created us, will correct your path if you’re not where you should be.   Then start looking for open windows!

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Service to Humanity is All About Seeing a Need and Filling it

August 24, 2008 at 6:30 am (Baha'i, Career, Entrepreneur, Humanity, Mystery, Passion, Service, Work)

A few years ago, an animated movie called “Robots” came out.  The kids and I enjoyed it, and one line really stuck with me: “See a need, fill a need.”  That’s what it’s all about in life, isn’t it?  Especially if your goal is to find a way to serve humanity in some way, and thereby help to make the world a better place. 

There are many many ways to do this of course, but I wanted to find the one that met all of my other criteria as well: utilizes my talents, engages my passions, feeds my learning addiction, flexible hours, everything I’ve blogged about so far and more.

Earlier this year, I saw a need.  Ever since then, I’ve been working steadily to find a way to fill that need.  I’m approaching the point in time when my efforts will begin to bear fruit.  Small fruit at first, of course, but fruit nonetheless.

And that is clue #9: My new job will fill a need which I have identified in the world.

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Leadership

August 22, 2008 at 4:59 am (Baha'i)
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I’ve been reading a book by Lee Iacocca called Where have all the leaders gone?  In it, he makes an astoundishingly good point: a presidential contest is not so much about the candidate himself as it is about the team he chooses to surround himself with.  Is he going to surround himself with people who think exactly the same way he does?  Will his team consist of people who are knowledgeable about all the same things he is knowledgeable about?  Lord, I hope not!  We’ve had enough of that kind of team building to see it leads nowhere good. 

Instead, we need a leader like Abraham Lincoln.  He invited his rivals to be part of his team (read Team of Rivals  by Doris Kearns Goodwin).  All the people he disagreed most vehemently with were made part of his cabinet.  And the final result?  History speaks for itself. 

A great leader knows she cannot lead alone, and so surrounds herself with a great team.  Leadership then is less about personal experience and more about surrounding yourself with the very best, most experienced people, regardless of party, regardless of campaign contributions, regardless of who knows who. 

There’s a lot of speculation right now about who the potential Vice Presidential running mates might be.  While identifying that person is a start, it’s a false start, because discussion never goes beyond that.  We never hear the names of people who might be tapped for other key positions. 

What if things were totally different?  What if instead of voting for a single person (or two people), we got to see the entire lineup?  What if we got to vote for our favorite team of leaders? 

In sports, winners aren’t determined by the biggest name on the team, because he might be a diva out to pump up his own stats.  Is that who we want in the white house? 

I realize naming your cabinet before the election just isn’t the way things are done, but there’s been a lot of talk lately about changing the ways things have always been done.  It’s time for our presidential candidates to put their money where their mouths are! 

Barack Obama and John McCain: I challenge you to break the rules and show us your lineup.

In fact, I dare you!

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Mystery job: Clue #8

August 19, 2008 at 4:24 am (Baha'i, Career, Mystery, Reading, Work, audiobooks)

Did I mention I fell in love while I was working on my thesis?  Yeah, it was one of those freak things.  I was crushed under the reading load of researching my topic.  There weren’t enough hours in a day to read what I already had, and still I needed more!  I was searching the local public library for new books to include in my literature review, when I came across the three magic words that changed my life forever: Book on CD.  I literally heard angels singing when I saw those words, and I knew my life would never be the same again! 

And that is your next clue…

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Mystery job: Clue #7

August 15, 2008 at 4:37 pm (Baha'i, Bliss, Career, Faith, Humanity, Mother, Mystery, Parenthood, Passion, Religion, Service, Wife, Work, spirituality, work as worship)

The other night, my son was complaining about his homework load.  Dad tried to say that he (Dad) had to do homework for 8 hours a day and wasn’t that much worse?  My son said, “Dad, you’re not doing homework, that’s just work.  But you’re right, it’s not fun either.  Work isn’t supposed to be fun.” 

When he said that, I felt a little sad.  He’s already figured out that work is something you do because you have to, not because you enjoy it.  I interjected, “Well, it’s not fun for a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a job doing something you enjoy.  In fact, that’s what you should try to do!”  He answered, “Really? Pumpkin pie, Mom.”  That’s his code word for “tell the truth,” like that was too crazy to be true. 

A lot of people have talked about finding their bliss.  I, like many others, enjoy a lot of different things.  It’s more a matter of figuring out how to use some combination of those passions to support your family.  I’ve done a lot of reading, taken some seminars, and explored several possible avenues as potential “blisses.”  Unfortunately, for one reason or another, none of them have panned out.  I tried teaching at the local community college.  I’ve been offered my old engineering job back.  I’ve volunteered on several projects, including service projects.  I’ve even looked into real estate and stock market investing, right before both crashed.  While the learning was valuable, the end destination was never the magic panacea I was hoping for.   Something was always missing: time with my family, flexibility, stability, service to humanity… 

Baha’u'llah told us that “any work performed in the spirit of service is exalted to the level of worship.”  That could be anything from mopping floors to running a mega-corporation.  As long as the work is done to the utmost of one’s ability, with the attitude towards that work being one of wanting to improve the lot of humanity, then it is just as praiseworthy as going to Church, or sitting in meditation, praying.  I decided I wanted to find a job that lets me serve humanity in some fashion, preferably directly through the Baha’i Faith. 

Elsewhere, I’ve listed the requirements of “my perfect job,” including that it must “engage my passions.” As long as those passions are engaged, I will have a job that I can look forward to doing, rather than doing it because I must.  Serving humanity is one those passions.  I really want to do something that will make the world a better place, in a rather concrete, tangible way, and will hopefully outlast my little time here on earth. 

And that is Clue #7: My new career will allow me to serve humanity through the Baha’i Faith.

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Mystery job: Clue #6

August 13, 2008 at 5:22 am (Baha'i, Career, Faith, Mystery, Religion, Work, spirituality)
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Talents.  We all have them, and they’re different for everybody.  The tricky  part is figuring out what they are.  To do that, we need to try out a LOT of different things.  Doubtless we’ll stink at 99% of them, but so what?  That last 1% is what will change our world! 

In fact, Baha’u'llah tells us that we are all given a unique set of talents, and that it’s our duty to discover, develop and use those talents in service to humankind.  I’ve worked hard to do just that.  On an earlier post, I mentioned that I had joined Toastmasters. My primary goal was to ward off brain atrophy, but I quickly discovered that I had a talent for speaking in front of people.  That isn’t to say I didn’t have to work hard to develop that talent, just that I had more raw material to work with when I started out. 

It’s important to note that you can have a talent for something without really enjoying it.  That’s OK; you can keep searching!  But don’t dismiss it, because each new talent is another tool in your tool box.  And who knows?  Maybe someday you’ll be able to combine your talents in a new and interesting way that is enjoyable.  For example, I’m pretty organized.  Consequently, I was asked to arrange meeting times and places for my community, and call the members to let them know.  I held this post for years.  In the beginning, I didn’t mind, because I was good at it.  But after a while, I no longer enjoyed it.  I started to wish I weren’t so organized…

I mentioned above that talents need to be developed.  Practice and effort enhance a given talent.  For example, shortly after joining Toastmasters, I took over as VP of Education.  I wasn’t trying to develop leadership skills, because I didn’t have any.  I just wanted to help a friend who was feeling overwhelmed.  To my surprise, I discovered a latent talent for leadership.  I worked to hone that talent, and a year later I was president.  

Communication is another talent I have, developed through study, practice and conscious effort.  I received a Master’s in Human Communication, and I learned a lot.  I learned even more when I decided to teach it. 

And that’s your clue for today: my new career lets me utilize my unique talents in service to humanity.  Those talents include but are not limited to public speaking, organization, leadership and communication.  And yes, my world is changing as we speak!

“O God! [...] Thou hast endowed each and all with talents and faculties…”   (Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 100)

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Mystery job: Clue #5

August 12, 2008 at 5:29 am (Baha'i, Career, Faith, Mother, Mystery, Parenthood, Religion, Work, spirituality)
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I’m a mom.  I have two fabulous kids whose adorableness enticed me to give up a big, fat paycheck just to stay home with them.  Power suits gave way to playdates.  Sit down restaurants gave way to drive-thrus and happy meals.  High speed Internet gave way to dial up (ack!). 

Wait a minute, what was I thinking? 

Oh yeah, I was thinking about sleeping past 5am.  I was thinking about hanging out with my kids, watching them grow and learn and change.  I was thinking about my life’s priorities.  And I haven’t regretted my decision for a moment.  (Disclaimer: I am in no way implying that my decision is the right decision for everyone, merely that it worked well for me.)

Fast forward to today. 

My kids are in school full time, leaving me with a bit of time on my hands.  Time which could be spent earning a paycheck.  I tried teaching a Communication course at the local community college.  But although I loved teaching, the grading load killed me.  My little part time job, with its little part time paycheck,  had me telling my kids “Sorry, Mommy can’t play right now.  I have to grade papers.”  I retired after two semesters. 

In pondering my next career move, I was determined to think it through more carefully.  My next job (and I would have another job, or so I was informed) would need to allow for total flexibility.  It had to let me set my own hours (when the kids are in school or asleep), and also let me take off whenever the kids are off (for holidays, summer break, or sickness).  I was completely inflexible about this: my next job had to have complete flexibility.

And that’s your  next clue:  My new career will allow me total and complete flexibility in setting my schedule.

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Mystery Job: Clue #4, Mushin (or no-mind)

August 11, 2008 at 5:23 pm (Baha'i, Career, Mystery, Work)
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I spent the past weekend at Karate Camp, where I learned a new phrase.  I had never heard it before, but I was already very familiar the concept.  The phrase is: mushin (pronounced moo-shin), or “no mind.”  It is a term that describes ”a state of pure consciousness unburdened by thought.”  To me, this means being perfectly and completely in the moment, being totally present.  It means neither constantly re-hashing the past (I should have done this, I forgot to do that, I wish I hadn’t…), nor anticipating the future (I need to remember to do this, I hope she doesn’t come, I really want…).  Mushin means simply concentrating on what you are doing right now, at this very moment, and using that pure focus to enable you to do that task to the utmost of your abilities. 

Mushin can be accomplished no matter what you’re doing, but I will admit that it’s easier for me to achieve in some activities versus others.  For example, I first learned to practice mushin doing yoga.  I could focus all of my attention on how to improve this pose at this moment.  I discovered later when life kept me from my yoga practice, that what I missed most wasn’t the physical aspect, but the mental.  I missed being in mushin.  I didn’t know the name at the time, but that’s exactly what it was. 

I find that doing Karate, I can also achieve mushin, and it’s a wonderful feeling.  I’ve reconnected to my body in new ways which build upon the knowledge gained during yoga.  There were a large number of doctors at this retreat (the founder of the school is a doctor, so many of his colleagues participate), and although they knew better than me how all the parts of the body work, they weren’t as aware as I of how the body as a whole works and moves together. 

Over time, I’ve discovered that the more you practice mushin in those activities where it’s easiest for you to achieve, the easier it becomes for you to achieve it in other activities, like doing meditation (perhaps the hardest place for me!).  So I continually look for places in my life where I can practice mushin.

And that’s clue #4: My new career involves at least one activity that pretty much requires me to enter mushin.

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