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Ethics and core values are disappearing from homes, the workplace, and society. Intellectual and emotional capital alone can no longer sustain organisations, is there a dearth in spiritual capital amongst leaders and decision-makers?
When all is said and done, what is it that is most important to you?
During a team workshop discussion, the word spiritual pops up, and I notice a number of rolling eyeballs which prompts me to enquire why. Why the indifferent response?
It was a mature group, and the members felt safe enough to be brutal with the truth, especially helpful in that points of view could be expressed and respectfully challenged. It became clear that the majority of rolling eyeballs had missed the mark by associating the Spiritual Quotient (SQ) with religion.
In the words of Prof Ian Wiseman (South African Associations of Retired Persons), “ Spiritual intelligence has no necessary connection with organised religion. A person may be high in SQ but have no religious faith of any kind. Equally a person may be very religious but low in SQ.”
So, what then is SQ?
In essence our SQ ability encourages us to focus on the really important areas in our lives such as meaning vision and values, and to help get them into proper perspective for greater peace of mind.
It’s a whole brain function that provides for a fully integrated life with greater depth and a wider perspective.
It is that which relates to our spiritual side and underlies what we believe in.
It’s deprived of animal instinct and ego.
It lies in the spiritual realm and may not conform to worldly principles.
Whilst there are a number of ‘quotients’ out there, such as IQ, EQ and SQ, pragmatically applying the SQ concept will yield your most significant and sustainable results as it’s the power source to all the other facets in your life.
Because you are a spiritual being, you have capacity to build meaning in your life through your SQ. Once you understand its irrefutable value, commit to its architecture!
I am the author of Leading Self and Others (how to make a difference where you are with what you’ve got) and Teaming with ideas (life lessons in teams- from business, sport and parkrun). You can contact me here.
