The beginning of a new year entices us to be future-oriented, set new goals, solve more problems, raise more money, serve more people. . . the list goes on. A new year can be an inspiring refresh but it’s often set against the same challenges I described in the article Spiritual Intelligence as a Way to Navigate the Whitewater. (An introduction to the impact of Spiritual Intelligence.)

A reminder: Spiritual intelligence (SQ) is the ability to behave with wisdom and compassion while maintaining inner and outer peace regardless of the situation (Cindy Wigglesworth). SQ includes 21 skills that amplify other intelligences. Briefly paraphrasing, a sample of those include moral courage, recognizing ego-power versus relational power, reframing problems, igniting hope and inspiring others to shine. This SQ lens is transformational in creating collaborative, empowered teams.

We recognize the frenetic pace required by today’s demands.

Exhaustion is masked as productivity. Busyness is a badge of honour. In distracted organizations, values language fails to translate into values-courage; our vision is lost playing whack-a-mole. Even our kind, well-intentioned organizations can become safe havens for bullies, while we stay busy meeting needs, changing lives, and attracting donors.

It’s a tale of two worlds inside organizations that aim to be purpose-driven, donor-centric and people-oriented.

Spiritually Intelligent leaders can prevent this dissonance or detect the misalignment and bring organizations back into harmony. This takes courage but ignoring dysfunction is costly. We either pay a “prevention invoice” by investing in healthy leadership or we pay a “healing invoice” when dysfunction causes problems including absenteeism, presenteeism, turnover, loss of reputation, and lawsuits—all quite measurable.

Dysfunction also leaves employees depleted, needing to recover from the emotional and physical effects of toxic workplaces. (Are you losing good people? Check your culture and your leadership.) Less measurable are missed opportunities because broken cultures prevent creativity, innovation, and effective relations.

Values, ethics and moral courage

Courage is not reserved for the corner office. At any level you may face moments that test your integrity. What will you refuse to compromise? Consider the scenarios below to flex your ethical muscles and leadership courage.

• A longtime donor commits a six-figure pledge that will close a major campaign. Days before the gift arrives, another funder makes a grant that fills the same need. Senior executives decide not to disclose the grant to the donor, reasoning that the donor’s gift is already “committed” and the extra funds are desperately needed elsewhere. How would moral courage inspire your conversations with the donor, the grantor and your senior leadership? What if you lose the donor gift? (Or your job by speaking truth to power?)
• An unsolicited gift arrives from a corporation with negative human rights and environmental records. That CEO is a friend to your board chair. Do you decline the gift? Does the size influence your decision? Does the corporation’s preference for recognition or anonymity matter? Do choices change if you are well-funded or struggling for every dime?
• An underperforming administrative officer frequently causes friction across teams. Extensive re-training and coaching results in no improvement.

The manager initiates dismissal through proper protocols. A director overrides the decision, minimizing the behavior as “watercooler spats” and citing fear of potential HR and union consequences. How might this decision affect team culture, leadership credibility, and high performers?

Beyond the ethical or moral decisions, what leadership conversations would you have?

In part two, I invite you to further explore the type of leader you want to be.

Kathy MacFarlane has an MA in Leadership, CFRE, and is a Leadership Consultant, a Certified Spiritual Intelligence coach, an MBTI practitioner and a Resilience @cWork Coach. Kathy is passionate about healthy leadership so people can thrive at work. She aims to maximize creativity and innovation by inviting people to bring their souls to the workplace. Kathy spent 30 years leading fundraising in children’s services, health care, college and university settings. She has extensive experience in legacy giving, major gifts, capital campaigns, annual giving, grant writing, and special events. https://kathymacfarlane.com/

References:

Wigglesworth, Cindy. (2012). SQ21: The Twenty-One Skills of Spiritual Intelligence. SelectBooks, Inc. Kindle Edition.