Inclusive Spirituality for Managers

Some inputs/suggestions:

• Sridhar Vembu's 'Mets-Stupidity' 

• Don't bring in busines when doing charity

• ChatGPT and spiritual insights!

Kant's 3 fundamental questions:

1. What can I know?  (Epistemology)

2. How ought I live? (Ethics)

3. What can I hope for? (Eschatology)

Life after death?
Freedom?

Purpose of Life:  Purusharthas  (Kama, Artha, Moksha, Dharma)
Western Categories:  P, P, P (P)

30 Class Discussion Starter Questions

1. What is the difference between spirituality and religion in the context of management?

2. How does Ignatian discernment apply to everyday leadership decisions?

3. In what ways can failure be a spiritual teacher in the corporate world?

4. How can a manager balance ambition with authenticity?

5. What does it mean to be a “person for others” in a competitive business environment?

6. Can suffering be spiritually transformative in the workplace?

7. How do spiritual values like compassion and truth apply to corporate governance?

8. Why is silence important in a hyper-digital management culture?

9. What is the spiritual meaning of self-transcendence for a leader?

10. How do inclusive spiritual traditions help address workplace diversity?

11. Can business goals and spiritual depth coexist harmoniously?

12. What role does ritual play in organisational life?

13. How can managers practise “finding God in all things”?

14. What does “magis” mean in management practice?

15. How does eco-spirituality challenge current business models?

16. Can an atheist manager be spiritual? How?

17. In what ways do tribal traditions enrich our understanding of community leadership?

18. How can interreligious dialogue help reduce conflict in teams?

19. What does ethical consumption look like from a spiritual lens?

20. How does detachment enhance clarity in decision-making?

21. Is spiritual maturity compatible with corporate hierarchy?

22. How do we distinguish between superficial and meaningful inclusivity?

23. What is the manager’s responsibility in addressing team suffering?

24. Can burnout be addressed through contemplative practices?

25. How can one lead with both strength and vulnerability?

26. What lessons can businesses learn from indigenous values like Ubuntu?

27. What are the risks of commodified or performative spirituality in companies?

28. How does the practice of Examen help with ethical clarity?

29. What role does “hope” play in ethical leadership?

How can a company become a space of spiritual communion, not just competition?

🔹30 Thematic Points for Elaboration

1. Discernment as Leadership Compass: Ignatian discernment reframes management as moral decision-making, not just strategic efficiency.

2. Magis and the Deeper Good: Spiritual leadership involves choosing the greater good, not just the obvious or profitable one.

3. Failure as Grace: Spiritual traditions treat failure as sacred ground for transformation and not merely error.

4. Inclusive Spirituality: Goes beyond tolerance to embrace atheists, doubters, seekers, and believers in a shared moral journey.

5. Sacredness in the Secular: The workplace becomes a spiritual terrain when infused with awareness and intention.

6. Self-Transcendence: Leadership matures when it moves from ego-driven goals to community and service.

7. Silence in a Noisy World: Stillness is essential for clarity and compassion in a distracted digital culture.

8. Hospitality over Tolerance: Welcoming the “other” in boardrooms transforms diversity into solidarity.

9. Compassion-in-Action: Spirituality demands concrete ethical responses, not just sentiment.

10. Rituals of Meaning: Everyday acts—lighting a lamp, sharing meals—become touchstones of spiritual presence at work.

11. Authenticity vs. Performance: Inclusive leadership is grounded in honest presence, not curated branding.

12. Reverence for Earth: Eco-spirituality aligns sustainability with sacred responsibility.

13. Interfaith Insights: Each tradition adds a dimension—karma, sabr, agape, mindfulness—to holistic leadership.

14. Sacred Time vs. Clock Time: Rhythms of rest and reflection restore balance to over-accelerated workplaces.

15. Failures That Reveal: Managerial breakdowns often expose ethical blind spots—inviting humility and growth.

16. Examen as Daily Audit: A reflective practice to align actions with deeper values.

17. Kenosis and Servant Leadership: Emptying the self enables space for shared flourishing.

18. Work as Pilgrimage: Management can be a sacred journey of purpose, not just a career path.

19. Ethical Consumption: Business must critique excess and affirm simplicity and sufficiency.
    
    

20. Women and the Sacred: Reclaiming feminine voices and roles in spirituality enriches managerial perspectives.

21. Hope as Resistance: Spiritual hope is not naïveté, but ethical defiance against despair.

22. Ubuntu and Interconnectedness: A reminder that business is always personal and relational.

23. Tribal Wisdom: Practices of communal care and cyclical time challenge linear, exploitative models.

24. Agape in Business: Radical love as organisational ethos—beyond transactional logic.

25. Suffering as Shared: Leadership means holding space for pain without rushing to solve it.

26. Awe and Mystery: Leaders benefit from wonder—humility in the face of what cannot be controlled.

27. Digital Alienation: Reclaiming presence in an era of hyper-productivity is a spiritual necessity.

28. Diversity as Sacred: Difference is not a barrier but a portal to shared truth.

29. Justice in Operations: From supply chains to salaries, spirituality demands systems of fairness.

30. Leadership as Ethical Becoming: Management is not just what one does, but who one becomes.