Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs made the front page of Sunday’s Washington Post because of his workplace spirituality. In this age of political correctness and fear of lawsuits, most of us are afraid to even mention issues of faith in the workplace. Yet the topic is crucial, sometimes even a matter of life and death. Consider, for example, the NASA report following the death of seven astronauts on the Space Shuttle Columbia. The investigation found that “history and culture contributed as much to the Columbia accident as any technical failure”.
Culture is the “shared values and beliefs of an organization – commonly described as “the way we do things here”. In this sense, every institution has its own spirituality. This spirituality can be healthy and productive or it can be morale-destroying and destructive. Joe Gibbs provides an example of how spirituality and performance can interact in a positive manner.
Gibbs has been a consistent winner in football, NASCAR racing and in winning souls for Christianity. While he makes no secret of his faith, he is careful about the ways in which it influences his role as coach. He does not pick players based on their faith. Players, who rarely heard him speak openly about his faith, quickly learned that church attendance would not automatically increase their playing time. At the same time, players report that he carried himself with an integrity that inspired several to model their lives on his.
Gibbs practice of faith in the workplace matches at least some of the guidelines suggested by Gregory Pierce, in his book Spirituality@Work.
Pierce starts with the idea that work is creative and a service to others. It is “all the effort (paid or unpaid) that we exert to make the world a better place, a little closer to the way God would have things.” This immediately suggests a guideline. If the business is genuinely creative and a service, values and beliefs should reinforce the business – or, at a minimum, not interfere with it.
Pierce suggests several ways in which to practice spirituality in the workplace. Some are not often considered spiritual – unless viewed in the context supporting the mission of the firm. These practices include dealing with one’s own imperfection and continually striving to improve the quality of work. Gibbs, who experienced a severe business failure, is well aware of his ability to make mistakes and constantly seeks guidance in avoiding future mistakes and improving quality. He practices the Golden Rule making it clear that players will be treated with respect, and judged on their performance.
The NASA report concludes that people did not feel respected and that, while treasured in technical areas but not in other areas, particularly in communications. Integrity is valued, but in some areas management has (perhaps unintentionally) sent signals that communicating unpleasant issues is unwelcome.
It is too much of a stretch to suggest that Joe Gibbs’ approach is the answer to NASA’s culture problems. He does, however, provide an example of how spirituality can have a positive role in the workplace.
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