‘Tis the season to move on to the next project

As I mentioned last week, I have noticed when I speak to audiences about issues of values, ethics and spirituality in the workplace some audiences enthusiastically display a willingness to reflect on very tough personal issues. Other audiences resist strenuously. Those people do not want to stare inside themselves at all. Reflection makes them visibly uncomfortable, and their body language sends off unnerving signals.

I have come to realize that the major issue is readiness. Some people are ready to contemplate, reflect and confront. For others the time is not yet ripe for them to explore their own hearts. I make a mistake when I try to rush them.

Since I was 16 years old and The Byrds released “Turn, Turn, Turn,” one of my favorite Bible verses has been Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and its instruction that for everything there is a season. The older I get, the more I realize that everything has a cycle. Plans, hopes and dreams mature when they are ready.

When we considered helping my special son get into a group home, my always-insightful wife pronounced “it is time.” I came to the same conclusion when I made retirement plans several years ago. I loved my career and it was a blessing, but I knew “it was time.”

When I retired, several people and organizations had ideas about what I should do in my “next life,” but I was not ready for a long-term commitment. It was clear to me I needed to deflate my high-pressure life for a while. When a dear newspaper syndicate friend suggested I write this column, I decided that was the right level of commitment.

I will never be able to repay the debt I owe that man for conceiving this column. It has been an incredible way to reflect on what the workplace taught me. It forced me to define my own ethics and values, and, most of all, it allowed me to forgive myself for all the leadership, management and interpersonal mistakes I made during my work journey.

My weekly conversations with you forced me to articulate my most important beliefs and to understand how they fit into the often-chaotic workplace. Above all, this column has produced lesson after lesson for me.

I learned that many answers to complex problems are simple and basic. The golden rule — treat people as you want to be treated — will get you to the right answer more often than not. I learned that respecting every person in the workplace as if they are the most important person in the world is a required ticket for admission. I learned that if we could all understand that it is our personal responsibility to make a difference and to stand up for what we believe, we all would be more fulfilled in our work.

By now you have probably figured out that I have decided “it is time” these columns end. I have been named the Frank E. Russell Chair for the business of journalism at Arizona State University. It is time for me to share my experiences with aspiring journalism students.

I know I am ready for this next stage of my life; but there is no adequate way to express my gratitude for your readership, your questions, challenges, corrections and your willingness to reflect on these important issues. I am deeply grateful to all the newspapers that have carried my column and delivered it to you.

I pray you will find innovative ways to bring your heart and soul to your work every day.

This tip and the resource are the two I used in my very first column. It seemed appropriate to come full circle.

A tip for your search: Write down five things that characterize your spiritual search. These might include your search for meaning and purpose, prayer, justice, fair play, quality or any other value or behavior that is important to you. Now reflect on how and whether your work is helping you find what you seek.

Resource for your search: “SpiritualityWork” by Gregory F.A. Pierce (Loyola Press, 2001).