I had every intention of getting to the office early this morning. Didn’t make it because I discovered this on one of the blogs I read:
Service and Selflessness
What we must learn from the monks is a management philosophy that I call “service and selflessness.” It has seven basic aspects.
The first aspect of service and selflessness is having a high overarching mission worthy of being served.
The second principle is selflessness. At Mepkin the mission is so noble, well articulated and continually inculcated that the monks are inspired to focus on it selflessly.
The third element of service and selflessness is a commitment to excellence: At Mepkin Abbey every single egg is packed with a “prayerful attitude.”
The fourth principle is a ruthless dedication to the highest ethical standards.
The fifth secret is faith. Every day, regardless of booms and busts in the larger economy, the monks risk their lives and livelihood faithfully serving their principles while trusting that business will take care of itself
The sixth aspect of service and selflessness is trust. The monks continually amass and replenish their treasury with the most valuable capital that any individual, product or business can possess: trust.
The seventh and perhaps most important secret to service and selflessness is living the life. Service and selflessness are just words on a page without a rigorous methodology for constantly reinforcing these principles, right down to the last egg. And, as luck would have it, the monks have a 1,500-year-old method called the Rule of St. Benedict that supplies just that.
The whole article is 4 parts and fairly long but well worth reading.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/14/trappist-business-lessons-leadership-management-mepkin1.html
Read it. There will be a quiz later.