From the Desk of Patricia Aburdene

Me again? Yes. I’m going for shorter, more frequent newsletters. It’s Twitteresque.

Back in Boulder (I bypassed Boston and the storm) after an exciting Miami speech for Florida Atlantic University’s Program in the Study of Spirituality — and a great audience: equally passionate about business and Spirit.

Early on, however, a sincere, if traditional gentleman, blew the whistle on our little love fest with a concern I’ve gotten before but heard with fresh ears. I’d just told the story of HP inkjet honcho Greg Merten, who added hundreds of millions to HP’s bottom line through the spiritual value of Trust (See Megatrends 2010, pp 1-2).

“I’m all for spirituality, the man said, “but not in business. What’s the motive? If it’s to make more money,” he added, “that’s not spirituality; it’s materialism!”

I honor your viewpoint, I said, but I don’t see it that way. I’d hate to shut down corporate meditation because it makes people innovative and companies profitable!

When the man continued to raise well-meant objections, the audience engaged frankly with him, some suggesting he had a “Money is Bad” bias. All in all, we had a  very lively discussion. Two hours flew by. I met new friends and went off to dinner with my old friend Astrologer Barbara Hamilton and her daughter Sarah.

But on the plane home, I recalled that Tami Simon, founder of Sounds True, the premier producer of spiritual audio programs (which starts meetings with a moment of silence and has a meditation room), chided me for connecting Spirit and profit. “I have no idea if what we do [spiritually] makes us money or loses us money,” she said with passion. “We do it because it has intrinsic value.”

Come to think of it, Greg Merten did not devote a full day every 4-6 weeks to team dynamics to enrich the bottom line. He did it to get better at relationships.

Can a questionable (read greedy?) motive impugn the value of Spirit in business? I still don’t think so. But today, thanks to a gentleman in Miami, I’d venture to say I now think the question is a healthy and thoughtful one.

Thanks to Lexie Potamkin and Nathan Katz for a memorable Miami adventure.

I’m relaxing at home in Telluride, Colorado after a busy spring traveling and speaking about — what else? — The Rise of Conscious Capitalism. Soon, I’ll drive to a great gathering at the Vail (CO) Leadership Institute, my last event until autumn.

On the road, I expected to discover a bit of resistance to the message of morals and money, Spirituality in business and shareholder capitalism. Instead, I found the movement and the megatrend of Conscious Capitalism thriving in the hearts and minds of the people I met from Virginia to Minneapolis, L.A. to Stockholm, Chicago, Dallas, upstate New York, all of which I visited this year. It is a great confirmation of every email I’ve gotten from all of you!

What follows cannot be called a blog. I’ve been so active that I haven’t kept you up-to-date. But I aim to do so from now on. So, although these highlights are more “blurt” that blog, it’s a start. Maybe a blog will follow.

I’d estimate half the S&P 500 embrace important aspects of Conscious Capitalism. Maybe 50 or so excel on numerous fronts. Among them is super-green Herman Miller — which introduced participatory management in the 1950s! — and wins diversity awards today. “Miller” as insiders call the company consistently hits lists like Business Ethics “100 Top Corporate Citizens,” the “Sustainable Business 20” and Fortune’s “Most Admired.” So when Herman Miller invited me to speak to their customers, staff and guests at the big NEOCON (Nope, nothing political. It’s all about furniture) show at the Chicago Merchandise Mart, I thought “It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Except it did. Because the company also invited me to a “get to know you” visit to their Zeeland, Michigan headquarters, two buildings of which are LEED Gold certified. Not surprisingly, Herman Miller’s own offices exemplify the company’s commitment to dazzling beauty while honoring the human body with high touch ergonomics. I met wonderful people including several top women executives I hope to get to know better.

Working with a company of “Miller’s” caliber helped clarify my next project, a study of the “Practice of Conscious Capitalism,” that is how companies weave the principles of spirituality and stakeholder capitalism into day-to-day business.