Accountability That Applies Not Only to The Boss But To Us All

Welcome back to the our Stability Project wherein we tap into the wisdom of the Rule of St. Benedict to help us keep our workplace calm, peaceful, and stable. We began this effort many months ago in 2022 as the distractions and disruptions we outlined in our last two posts began to intensify. And, logically enough, we figured a workplace that was disorganized with disordered, unpleasant and/or unstable working conditions was the last thing we needed if we were to perform our duties with fervor and exactness for the greater glory of God, the welfare of our families, the benefit of our clients and customers, and the common good.

We covered much of the Rule before we took an extended break during Advent and Christmas. But we've still got a few more entries that will assist us in our worthy endeavor. With that short sweet summary of how we arrived at our next entry, let's proceed.

As is the case with all of the Rule, St. Benedict wrote to educate his monks, both rank and file as well as the Abbot and those who held special positions like Prior and Dean. But history has shown that a diligent reading of the Rule by those of us who work in the world can find best practices both for organizing and running our business enterprise as well as how we ought to treat our colleagues and employees. 

The next entry is addressed to the Abbot. But we'll quickly find concrete suggestions for bosses who organize and oversee a business as well as supervise workers. It begins with this "top down" instruction to the abbot:

"Let the abbot when appointed consider always what an office he has undertaken and to whom he must render and account of his stewardship..."

As we've noted many times, every boss has a boss, not matter how high up in the organization. Another way of saying this is we all have some individual or individuals to whom we must answer. This applies even to the "big boss" of a big company. In larger organizations, the CEO of a public company answers to a Board of Directors. A college President or head of a non-profit answers to a Board of Trustees. A Bishop answers to the Pope. Privately owned companies may have several owners, each answerable to the other in some way. But even if an enterprise is fully owned by one individual, that person holds themselves accountable to their customers or clients, without whom there's no business.

You get the point.

But all of these folks, no matter their individual circumstances ultimately answer to God.

In our own work lives, we Catholic men who work first for the greater glory of God get this. First, we get that we answer to God for our every thought, word, and deed in the workplace; and that includes how we treat our fellow workers. Second, if we supervise others, we get that we answer to God for how we treat our charges. Third, if we bear some degree of or total responsibility for how the business is run, we understand that our ultimate judge is not our partners, our Board, or even our customers and clients: It's God Himself to whom we will now in this life and ultimately at our Particular Judgment give an accounting.

If this seems a bit remote, or less pressing than our accountability to the boss, colleague, or customers and clients with whom we have physical contact in the physical workplace, we need to step back and do some soul-searching.

For some of us, this remains a work in progress. But the good news is that once we recognize this deep and abiding reality, our whole world will change - and for the better. If we hold ourselves consciously and consistently accountable to God every day, every moment of every day, we cannot but help to be better at what we do and how we do it. God is worthy of nothing but the best we can give Him. And to the extent we need improving (and who doesn't?), we'll gladly and enthusiastically seek to upgrade our performance, no prompting needed.

Well, being creatures with a fallen human nature, perhaps prompting will be needed at times. At least it is for me. But the prompting is more a reminding and its necessity arises particularly during those busy work days with their pressing deadlines and the inevitable problems that frequently accompany our efforts to do our best work in the time allotted to us for any given task or project.

So consider this post a prompting, especially if we happen to be a boss: "Let the abbot when appointed consider always what an office he has undertaken and to whom he must render and account of his stewardship..." 

Indeed, St. Benedict's Rule has already. made this point a number of times, in different circumstances and contexts. So if it's important enough for St. Benedict to repeat, it's important enough for us all to take it to heart and install it into our minds, hearts, and souls.

We'll pick up with this next time where we'll find many more gems of wisdom in the rest of this entry of the Rule.