Spirituality in Business Tip #1: How To Kick Off a Meeting.

One of the most opportune moments to introduce an element of spiritual influence into your work environment is when you are starting a meeting.

If you are the one who is leading the meeting, then you should very well be able to set the tone with a spiritual call to order. But not in a way that would make everyone think you are a freak. Which, yes, I would be concerned about that too.

So, anyway, I’m not saying that you should start the meeting by lifting up your hands and calling out for the Holy Spirit to drop down tongues of flames upon your agnostic and multi-faith team members. No, you can tone it down while still making an impact and opening little crevices for the Holy Spirit to move in strange and mysterious ways. Here are a couple of simple but powerful things you can do:

1. Begin each meeting with a moment of silence. 

The Quakers have been doing this for centuries. Instead of making it an overtly pushy Christian thing, you can simply say that you would like to begin the meeting by asking everyone to spend a moment in silence, to clear their minds, to take a few deep breaths, to transition from whatever they just came from. It will help them to focus their thoughts on the important work that you are all about to embark on.

This may be awkward the first time or two, especially for those spiritually shallow chatter-brains on your team that can’t stand to be alone with themselves for even just a nano-second. But I can guarantee that most people sitting around the table will appreciate it, if for no other reason than it allows them to squalor away a moment of peace in the midst of a hectic day. And – here’s the beauty – it builds in an opportunity for you to compose yourself with your own silent prayer before every meeting. 

2. Have the participants greet each other before the meeting begins.

How many times have you been in a meeting and realized you don’t even know the names of some of the participants? Happens to me all the time. Wouldn’t it be nice if you allowed a minute or two for folks to walk around the table and introduce themselves? Even if everyone at the table is old chums, having a minute to simply say “Hello, how’s it going?” before the meeting can break down unseen barriers and warm things up a bit before jumping into business-GO mode.

The greeting is a simple way to remind us of our humanity, that we are all just little people with big souls working towards some sort of greater purpose – together. At your meeting.

Try it out, and let me know how it goes.