Will My Religion Hurt My Career?

An e-mail posting from BNET recently asked this question: "Will my religion hurt my career?" If one were to follow stereotypes, could this be a HR outcome to evangelistic quasi-preaching in one's workplace?

While clicking through to the BNET story reveals something quite different (a little "bait and switch" about derogatory career perceptions of online atheism), the question remains a fair one. I for one have been asked in a respective work environment whether or not I had "been saved," which--despite the good intentions of person leading with the question--didn't really advance the theological cause they were espousing.

After all, in my world, brand equals performance. How one acts, how one performs, has much to do with the perceived promise and credibility of their personal brand. I would daresay that this is especially true concerning the validity -- and/or career-enhancing elements -- of any proffered spiritual belief system. That being said, do you want to be known as a religious person? Or, perhaps better said, do you want to have the reputation that your spiritual values are openly reflected in how you conduct yourself at work or in life? From a career perspective, what elements of personal brand equity should be considered here?

One could surmise that from personal career or brand considerations, the real question distills down to this: could one responsibly and appropriately advance their career through a real application of their religion? The ancient New Testament writer James (who possessed a very strong positive reputation in both ancient Christian and Jewish communities) declares: "Faith without deeds [applied behavioral application] is dead" or, as he says earlier a bit more forcefully, "faith without deeds is useless." (James 2:26, 20, New International Version). An element of real performance is more than suggested here.

From traditional Christian and Jewish perspectives, I would then humbly suggest that at least one aspect of applied religion would be most beneficial to one's career. Both practicing Jews and Christians share a critical teaching from the Hebrew Tanakh that would certainly advance one's career from performance and productivity perspectives: "Whatsoever thy hand attaineth to do by thy strength, that do" (Ecclesiastes 9:10, Jewish Publication Society). This piece of wise advice is translated in a more contemporary fashion as "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might" (New International Version of the Bible). Without indulging further in stereotyping, would this be a productive consideration for those of the Gen X entitlement mindset? (Not, mind you, that all members of the Gen X era eschew productivity)

The direction and expectation for high and ethical performance at work is ramped up even higher for practicing Christians, as Jesus Christ Himself is quoted as commanding His followers to "let your light [behavior] shine before men, that they may see your good deeds" (Matthew 5:16, NIV). The Apostle Paul, an individual credited with spreading Christianity across an entire Empire, echos the ancient Hebrew writings when he commanded a Greek congregation: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" (Colossians 3:23, NIV).

Of the five "P's" commonly cited for success (passion, patience, persistence, perception and purpose), passion remains the top or close to the top as a key driver for achievement. In this age, "working with all your might" would certainly be a key brand differentiator. So, whether you're a Boomer, Gen X or era-independent, if you want to advance your spiritual beliefs, perhaps you should consider the paraphrased performance-focused advice of Francis of Assisi: "Preach often. When necessary, use words."

With that as a workplace backdrop (with appropriate career advancement in mind), are you a high performer? The Apostle Peter noted that a high-performing Christian will attract attention (I Peter 3:15). If there exists perceived connectivity between your outstanding work performance and your spiritual belief system, then the chances are then that your religion will be viewed both as the driver, and as high performing and attractive. If that is the case, what then will happen to your career?

After all, from a practical persuasive point of view, demonstration and performance trumps rhetoric and theology any day.

Economic Development's Surprising Secret Weapon - Applied Religion?

As the "jobless recovery" continues and businesses struggle to regain pre-2008 profitability levels, could economic development professionals and government workforce development agencies be overlooking a critical advantage?
Two Harvard researchers think so.
After reviewing and analyzing 40 years of data from 59 countries, Harvard economist Robert Barro and his wife and research partner Rachel McCleary (a researcher at Harvard's Taubman Center) found a strong correlation between economic growth and certain shifts in religious beliefs.
As Michael Fitzgerald points out in the Nov. 15 Boston Globe, "In recent years, Italian economists have presented findings that religion can boost GDP by increasing trust within a society; researchers in the United States showed that religion reduces corruption and increases respect for law in ways that boost overall economic growth. A number of researchers have documented how merchants used religious backgrounds to establish one another’s reliability."
Fitzgerald cites the early 20th century work of Max Weber, a German sociologist who coined the phrase "the Protestant work ethic" after uncovering direct ties between a culture or country's level of prosperity and economic growth.
As economic and workforce development professionals, social engineers and management consultants toil to find ways to motivate people to higher levels of productivity and performance, perhaps they're missing the most effective means of all: applied religion, where people actually do what they believe.
Fitzgerald notes that many governments have spent considerable intellectual and financial capital trying to re-create areas like the successful Silicon Valley, but fail, basically because the necessary culture never gets developed. Why? "While education and rule of law might seem straightforward secular policies, the cultural forces that carry them into a society, including religion, have a lot to do with whether people respect them," he says.
Interestingly, far from a passive approach toward the workplace, both the Hebrew scriptures and the Christian New Testament are quite firm about performance expectations of their followers. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might," directs the author of Ecclesiastes a number of centuries before Christ. Writing to 1st century Christians in what is today western Turkey, the Apostle Paul reaffirms the ancient Hebrew maxim: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Further in another place, this same Paul sternly warned the Greek followers of Jesus in Thessalonica: "When we were with you, we gave you this rule: If a man will not work, he shall not eat." Paul might not have approved of certain unemployment and welfare programs nearly 2,000 years later.
Accordingly, if a region wants to boost productivity, perhaps the economic professionals could suggest a bit of applied religion, where people actually back up their beliefs with action. Americans looking for performance enhancement may thus quote James, the brother of Jesus and head of the first Jerusalem church, where he wrote: "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith, but has no deeds? ...faith without deeds is dead."
In a recession-torn world, perhaps some food for thought.