Good Things Happen When We're Humble at Work
Being humble might not be our first inclination at work. The stress of pressing deadlines pushes us to get things done. Competition forces us to come up with innovative ways to attract customers. We try to "get ahead": get promoted, make more money, be recognized for a job well done, etc. To do that frequently means acquiring new skills, honing existing ones, sometimes needing to find another job that offers the money and recognition we deserve. It all takes a lot of time and effort.
Even if we understand the critical role the virtue of humility plays in our growing closer to God in our spiritual lives, does humility really fit in with our work lives? The short answer: Yes. And if it's not on your radar screen each day, it should be.
Today we turn to the Rule of St. Benedict for some help in making sure we're humble at work. And in case you need some "practical" motivation, added to the spiritual, to get you working on your humility at work, consider the following:
Circling back to St. Benedict, we've recently seen how the traits of a good Abbot can help us understand how a leader should think and behave. Ideally this will helps us if and when we're called on to lead others.
We also found common ground between leaders and followers: their equality in the eyes of God. Being created equal naturally rings a bell with most of us U.S. citizens from our Declaration of Independence, which clearly states that all men are created equal.
In his Rule, after giving us a clear understanding of leadership, St. Benedict then provides us with the "tools" we'll need to ensure that our work is good in the eyes of God (Instrumenta Bonorum Operum - Tools of Good Works). We'll cover this in detail during Lent this year.
Today, though, we'll skip ahead to the subsequent discussion of the virtue of humility. The Rule contains a full 16 straight entries on humility. St. Benedict begins with a warning against "exaltation," characterizing it as a kind of pride. When I first read this, I thought of all the "self-esteem" chatter with which we're all inundated. We should "love ourselves."
In business we're told we need to be "assertive," if not outright aggressive in our dealings. Otherwise, we'll never get what we want. We'll be pushovers. Others will get whatever it is we believe we deserve. After all, it's a dog eat dog world out there.
Look, we all know it's a dog eat dog world in many ways, especially in business. We don't want to be naive or stick our heads in the sand here. But having recognized the cold, hard reality that our lives on earth lack the warmth and happiness that we will find (by the grace of God) in Heaven, let's seek and find the central place that humility can and should play throughout our daily labors.
For a taste of what St. Benedict has in store for us, let's begin with a definition: "Humility is a repressing or moderating virtue opposed to pride and vainglory or that spirit within us which urges us to great things above our strength and ability."
We surely don't want pride to play any role in our lives, right? The antidote to pride: humility.
As for vainglory, it's a spirit that causes us to to attribute to ourselves, or to spend time trying to accomplish, great things that are frankly above our capabilities. We're not talking about simply "aiming high" here. Nothing wrong with stretching ourselves once in a while. Heck, we all know stories of the person who started in the mail room and became CEO.
And, yes, Jobs and Wozniak started Apple in a garage. But three things here:
First, for every fantastic success story, there are hundreds or thousands of similar efforts that just didn't work out. (No one talks about these, of course.) Second, Jobs and Wozniak actually possessed an uncanny combination of skill and imagination that, realistically, most of us can't claim. And third, luck - rather than simply talent and hard work - typically plays a much, MUCH larger role in the successful outcome of most of these great stories. (No one talks much about that either.)
Next time we'll dive into the details as St. Benedict presents them in his Rule. And if you're still not sure about the importance of humility, keep an open mind and give it a chance. Just be forewarned: Authentic humility isn't about being passive, or avoiding confrontation, or letting people step all over you. It requires an incredible amount of self-discipline and courage to be humble. To see if you're up to the challenge, tune in next time.
Even if we understand the critical role the virtue of humility plays in our growing closer to God in our spiritual lives, does humility really fit in with our work lives? The short answer: Yes. And if it's not on your radar screen each day, it should be.
Today we turn to the Rule of St. Benedict for some help in making sure we're humble at work. And in case you need some "practical" motivation, added to the spiritual, to get you working on your humility at work, consider the following:
- We become more attractive to both our colleagues and our employers, just as we become more attractive to Our Lord.
- We'll gain a clearer understanding of our true value - not some postured or exaggerated sense of self-worth.
- Knowing our true value entails an appreciation for the specific natural good qualities which God has given to each of us as individuals.
- This knowledge will cause us to know, indelibly, that all the good in us comes from God.
- And that knowledge will help us to more easily handle even the most difficult assignments and bear with the most trying circumstances we might encounter during the day.
Circling back to St. Benedict, we've recently seen how the traits of a good Abbot can help us understand how a leader should think and behave. Ideally this will helps us if and when we're called on to lead others.
We also found common ground between leaders and followers: their equality in the eyes of God. Being created equal naturally rings a bell with most of us U.S. citizens from our Declaration of Independence, which clearly states that all men are created equal.
In his Rule, after giving us a clear understanding of leadership, St. Benedict then provides us with the "tools" we'll need to ensure that our work is good in the eyes of God (Instrumenta Bonorum Operum - Tools of Good Works). We'll cover this in detail during Lent this year.
Today, though, we'll skip ahead to the subsequent discussion of the virtue of humility. The Rule contains a full 16 straight entries on humility. St. Benedict begins with a warning against "exaltation," characterizing it as a kind of pride. When I first read this, I thought of all the "self-esteem" chatter with which we're all inundated. We should "love ourselves."
In business we're told we need to be "assertive," if not outright aggressive in our dealings. Otherwise, we'll never get what we want. We'll be pushovers. Others will get whatever it is we believe we deserve. After all, it's a dog eat dog world out there.
Look, we all know it's a dog eat dog world in many ways, especially in business. We don't want to be naive or stick our heads in the sand here. But having recognized the cold, hard reality that our lives on earth lack the warmth and happiness that we will find (by the grace of God) in Heaven, let's seek and find the central place that humility can and should play throughout our daily labors.
For a taste of what St. Benedict has in store for us, let's begin with a definition: "Humility is a repressing or moderating virtue opposed to pride and vainglory or that spirit within us which urges us to great things above our strength and ability."
We surely don't want pride to play any role in our lives, right? The antidote to pride: humility.
As for vainglory, it's a spirit that causes us to to attribute to ourselves, or to spend time trying to accomplish, great things that are frankly above our capabilities. We're not talking about simply "aiming high" here. Nothing wrong with stretching ourselves once in a while. Heck, we all know stories of the person who started in the mail room and became CEO.
And, yes, Jobs and Wozniak started Apple in a garage. But three things here:
First, for every fantastic success story, there are hundreds or thousands of similar efforts that just didn't work out. (No one talks about these, of course.) Second, Jobs and Wozniak actually possessed an uncanny combination of skill and imagination that, realistically, most of us can't claim. And third, luck - rather than simply talent and hard work - typically plays a much, MUCH larger role in the successful outcome of most of these great stories. (No one talks much about that either.)
Next time we'll dive into the details as St. Benedict presents them in his Rule. And if you're still not sure about the importance of humility, keep an open mind and give it a chance. Just be forewarned: Authentic humility isn't about being passive, or avoiding confrontation, or letting people step all over you. It requires an incredible amount of self-discipline and courage to be humble. To see if you're up to the challenge, tune in next time.
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