Partnership & the Soul
by Eric Klein
 The soul is where the inner and outer worlds meet.
- Novalis
(This article originally appeared in the Profundity section of The Journal for Quality and Participation
May/June, 2000. The Association for Quality and Participation is a non-profit organization
where technology, the new economy and the human spirit work together to create more effective workplaces.)
WE LIVE IN A TIME OF GREAT LONGING. Even as more
and more of us are electronically connected; even as we spend the
majority of our waking hours surrounded by other people, there is a
pervasive sense of isolation that permeates our culture. Fueling this
isolation is a deep disenchantment with all historical forms of
institutional authority. We have lost confidence in our institutions. We
have entered, as a people, into the dark night of the soul-into a time of
fundamental confusion and unknowing. The wisdom traditions
understand the dark night as a time of incredible opportunity. Finally
lost, without familiar points of orientation, we can stop and listen to the
quiet voice of our soul.
We have the ability to distract ourselves from our values and gifts. To
forget. And to create partnerships, relationships, and cultures that
reinforce our forgetting. This is the blessing of the dark night of the
soul-it wakes us up and shakes us loose from the habit of
forgetfulness.
If we can be faithful to the darkness-which means eschewing easy
answers and quick fixes-we can begin to orient ourselves to the
openness of our new environment, The darkness asks us to be still.
Stillness is certainly not a core competency of modern culture. I rarely
meet anyone who is not proud to claim that they are "too busy." To be
"too busy" is treated as a sign of being deeply engaged in life. Yet, as
anyone who has ever been in love, cooked a meal, tended a garden,
or raised a child knows, being in a bonded and deep relationship is
not based on busyness. It is based on stillness and listening.
So when we find ourselves in the dark night, it is important that we
take time to listen. For those of us who spend our lives in
organizations, this means listening to the voice of the soul and the deep
yearning for a sense of purpose, meaning, and belonging that echoes
in the cubicles and corridors of our workplaces.
There may be some resistance, at first, to my using
the language of the wisdom traditions when considering the path
toward organizational renewal. There may be a fear that by even
entering into such a "soulful" conversation one will drift away from any
practical focus. We may imagine how our colleagues will mutter and
shake their heads as we float off on a cloud of New Age vapors.
In fact, the durability of the wisdom traditions their luring ability to
inform and guide human experience-testifies to their inherent
usefulness. Why would we not seek guidance in the wisdom teachings
of human experience? William O'Brien, former CEO of Hanover
Insurance, has written, "Many managers do not achieve the excellence
they are capable of, simply because they have not devoted enough
time to reflecting on the application of the wisdom of the ages to their
professional responsibilities."
The soul requires, even pleads for, a language deeper than rightsizing,
quarterly profits, and annual reviews. As we find ourselves in the dark
woods, as we require a new kind of openness and a deeper
conversation, the language of the sages and poets must become part
of our organizational discourse.
In the end, a partnership with the soul is the most grounded, practical
thing we can seek. Partnership with the soul brings us more and more
solidly into life. The soul wants action and engagement. Because the
soul is rooted in reciprocity, we find our gifts, our identity, and our
purpose, through deepening intimacy-through partnership-with the
world.
Having found our own sense of values, gifts, and legacy, we will
naturally engage with our colleagues in a deeper conversation. As we
do this, the night becomes a little brighter. In this brightening of the
collective imagination we begin to dream of new institutions new
organizational forms-that are more in keeping with our values, that are
more hospitable to our gifts, and which more easily express our legacy
in the world.
The soul is our partner. Let us listen to what it is asking.
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