Do You "Fit In" Where You Work?
Today's post serves as a follow up to our previous discussion about the desirability of having a "philosophy" in our business. Today we consider how a business's philosophy impacts hiring decisions by making sure that candidates "fit it." Later, similar to our last discussion, we'll see not only why it's important to "fit in" where we work, but we'll see how this applies to our spiritual lives.
In addition to the various benefits we saw last time of a business having a philosophy, that philosophy can provide some sort of standard against which you might compare candidates for new positions. In turn, that will help you make hiring decisions based on whether an individual will fit within your corporate "culture." A business with a clearly, distinctly crafted philosophy wants and needs individuals whose talents, skills, and temperament won't clash with that philosophy. Some simple examples:
Skilled sales people come in all stripes. Some can relentlessly meet their goals or quotas no matter the obstacles. We're talking here about the classic "gunslinger." You hire him or her to get results - no matter what. You might think such an individual would be attractive to any business. But if a business's philosophy emphasizes collegiality and cooperation as primary values, the behavior and temperament of the gunslinger would likely prove to be disruptive. It's just not a good fit.
The same applies to management. I've worked for a couple of gruff, hard-driving, no-nonsense, no-excuses executives. They produced results. For some companies, they're just what the doctor ordered. For others, their style of management would have created a tense, adversarial environment completely contrary to the philosophy and values the company preached. They simply would not "fit in."
Not only the business, but the employee too, inevitably will suffer from a bad fit. Everyone loses.
While fitting in is important in the work place, it's even more important in our spiritual lives. Here, however, it's not about personality and style. It's about saints and sinners.
While Our Lord famously walked with sinners, he never excused them. He attracted them, but He also caused them to change: He loved them, but His unmistakable message was: "Go and sin no more." The sinners needed to become saints if they were to follow Him. The issue really comes down to the need to "fit in." You can't get to Heaven when you're a sinner: only saints allowed. Here's a clear explanation of why this is so:
“Saint Paul, writing to the Christian converts, addresses them as persons called to be Saints. It is clear from this mode of address that, in the eyes of the Apostle, the vocation of every Christian, as such, is that he be a saint.…To evade it to the end is not merely to risk but actually to incur everlasting unhappiness. Startling as this thought is, there is not needed much reflection to see that its truth cannot be gainsaid. Nothing ‘unsaintly’ can find place in heaven. What is definitely and by irrevocable choice ‘unsaintly’ is forever excluded from the presence of God, and this is necessarily so by the very nature of things. It is not in consequence of a stern, arbitrary and, if He chose, revocable decree of banishment issued by God that the unholy soul is banned from heaven. The unholy soul simply could not exist in heaven. It would shrivel up in a veritable agony. It could no more exist there than could a dry twig in a blazing furnace. Light is not more incompatible with darkness than the sanctity of God with what is unholy. It is the infinite purity, the perfect sanctity of God that makes heaven impossible for the unsaintly. Since eternal happiness depends on sanctity, it is important to have a very clear notion of what it consists in and of the way by which it is attained.” (Father Edward Leen, C.S.Sp., 1885-1944)
We simply won't fit in unless we're saints. That's why it's so critically important for us all to continually strive for improvement in our spiritual lives. As Father Leen notes: "The unholy soul simply could not exist in heaven. It would shrivel up in a veritable agony."
This may seem daunting to those of us who are less-than-saintly at the moment. After all, if you're not a good fit for a particular company, you can always find another that suits you better. But while we can always eventually fit in someplace in our work lives, there's really no other acceptable alternative to Heaven. That's why it's so important for us to make up our minds to become saints - the sooner the better. It starts with a serious, sincere intention. After that, for most of us, it's a lifetime of examining our conscience, going to Confession, and doing our best. Despite our many fits and starts, falling down and getting up again, we persist. The good news here is, if we really want to fit in, Our Lord will know it. When the time comes to face Our Lord in our particular judgement, He'll know how serious and sincere we were, despite our many failings. If we need a little cleansing in Purgatory, well, that's better than the alternative. In the end, He'll know whether and when we'll fit in.
In addition to the various benefits we saw last time of a business having a philosophy, that philosophy can provide some sort of standard against which you might compare candidates for new positions. In turn, that will help you make hiring decisions based on whether an individual will fit within your corporate "culture." A business with a clearly, distinctly crafted philosophy wants and needs individuals whose talents, skills, and temperament won't clash with that philosophy. Some simple examples:
Skilled sales people come in all stripes. Some can relentlessly meet their goals or quotas no matter the obstacles. We're talking here about the classic "gunslinger." You hire him or her to get results - no matter what. You might think such an individual would be attractive to any business. But if a business's philosophy emphasizes collegiality and cooperation as primary values, the behavior and temperament of the gunslinger would likely prove to be disruptive. It's just not a good fit.
The same applies to management. I've worked for a couple of gruff, hard-driving, no-nonsense, no-excuses executives. They produced results. For some companies, they're just what the doctor ordered. For others, their style of management would have created a tense, adversarial environment completely contrary to the philosophy and values the company preached. They simply would not "fit in."
Not only the business, but the employee too, inevitably will suffer from a bad fit. Everyone loses.
While fitting in is important in the work place, it's even more important in our spiritual lives. Here, however, it's not about personality and style. It's about saints and sinners.
While Our Lord famously walked with sinners, he never excused them. He attracted them, but He also caused them to change: He loved them, but His unmistakable message was: "Go and sin no more." The sinners needed to become saints if they were to follow Him. The issue really comes down to the need to "fit in." You can't get to Heaven when you're a sinner: only saints allowed. Here's a clear explanation of why this is so:
“Saint Paul, writing to the Christian converts, addresses them as persons called to be Saints. It is clear from this mode of address that, in the eyes of the Apostle, the vocation of every Christian, as such, is that he be a saint.…To evade it to the end is not merely to risk but actually to incur everlasting unhappiness. Startling as this thought is, there is not needed much reflection to see that its truth cannot be gainsaid. Nothing ‘unsaintly’ can find place in heaven. What is definitely and by irrevocable choice ‘unsaintly’ is forever excluded from the presence of God, and this is necessarily so by the very nature of things. It is not in consequence of a stern, arbitrary and, if He chose, revocable decree of banishment issued by God that the unholy soul is banned from heaven. The unholy soul simply could not exist in heaven. It would shrivel up in a veritable agony. It could no more exist there than could a dry twig in a blazing furnace. Light is not more incompatible with darkness than the sanctity of God with what is unholy. It is the infinite purity, the perfect sanctity of God that makes heaven impossible for the unsaintly. Since eternal happiness depends on sanctity, it is important to have a very clear notion of what it consists in and of the way by which it is attained.” (Father Edward Leen, C.S.Sp., 1885-1944)
We simply won't fit in unless we're saints. That's why it's so critically important for us all to continually strive for improvement in our spiritual lives. As Father Leen notes: "The unholy soul simply could not exist in heaven. It would shrivel up in a veritable agony."
This may seem daunting to those of us who are less-than-saintly at the moment. After all, if you're not a good fit for a particular company, you can always find another that suits you better. But while we can always eventually fit in someplace in our work lives, there's really no other acceptable alternative to Heaven. That's why it's so important for us to make up our minds to become saints - the sooner the better. It starts with a serious, sincere intention. After that, for most of us, it's a lifetime of examining our conscience, going to Confession, and doing our best. Despite our many fits and starts, falling down and getting up again, we persist. The good news here is, if we really want to fit in, Our Lord will know it. When the time comes to face Our Lord in our particular judgement, He'll know how serious and sincere we were, despite our many failings. If we need a little cleansing in Purgatory, well, that's better than the alternative. In the end, He'll know whether and when we'll fit in.
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