"Work is Love made Visible"- Kahlil Gibran
By Shirley Moulton - Founder, The ACADEMi of Life, NYC
After seven years of working in major corporations and with over 22 years leading a company whose clients were primarily Fortune 1000, I came to realize that I and others who worked in these mammoth entities were generally unhappy, fearful and stressed.
I LOVE business and I have loved it since the age of 5 years when I opened an imaginary store and literally sold ‘dirt’ and leaves from trees, to my sisters as products. I loved it when I would go into the shop next door to my house and buy candy. I remember watching in awe as the shopkeeper Master Alan skillfully weighed the flour and sugar he sold. The scale he used was this metal device balanced on a chain that hung from the ceiling. He would put empty brown paper bags on the scale and scoop out the flour or sugar from crocus cloth bags on the floor and fill the bags. He would meticulously and gently fold the bags using consistent motions and finally the finished product – 2 lbs of sugar or flour for the customer.
I loved watching this process. I loved the notion that if you requested a product it was provided with loving care and in turn, you would pay for the service with money, given in recognition of a job well done. What I witnessed was a ‘loving exchange’ as both buyer and seller experienced happiness, joy and satisfaction during the process. Watching this was inspiring, it was awesome! Many years later I read a quote by Kahlil Gibran “work is love made visible” and realized that what Master Alan was engaged in was a loving act and what was really being exchanged between the buyer and seller was “love”.
From that experience and many others since then, I concluded that the real purpose of a business is to lovingly create products and services in exchange for love through the vehicle of money. Money was the vehicle to express love for the products received from Master Alan. What if we would extend this feeling of love and loving responses to all the constituents of a business, the employees, the customers, suppliers, investors and society and in so doing produce quiet joy and happiness for all participants. What an evolution this would be; a business always engaged in the exchange of LOVE and loving it!
Excerpt from a book I am currently writing titled “How Big Business Can Save the Lives of their People…a Guide to Authentic Leadership”
I read your comment you made to Megan--about her tennis quest. As the top swing scientist in the country--her quest has got my attention. It seems that she has all the intangibles you can't coach--SPEED-- is the most important! The problem is that all the focus and attitude in the world won't help a technically unsound swing UNDER PRESSURE.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with our talented, athletic juniors and pros is when they and their coach get stuck they think more hard work will fix it--as she is finding out it doesn't. It is obvious to me that she is scared to play because subconsciously she knows when the match gets tight she can't execute--I can prove this is a technical not mental problem. It seems that Megan has tried everything under her control--I believe now it is time that she and her trainer, Kevin should consult a swing scientist like me. The new found ammunition on the court will make practice more fun and if she is truely gifted athletically--she should break into top 100 in the first 6 months. If you agree with me that another approach is warranted read my blog(whyandyroddickneedsme.blogspot.com)--which should give you a better idea of my background and also my frustrations with how todays tennis training system is broke.