CHAPTER 1

Spiritual Direction in the Corporate Environment

Tom Cashman

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The intent of this essay is not to offer a "how-to" process for doing spiritualdirection in the corporate world. My hunch is that this environmentis too complex and the directees too diverse for any general approach.What I share instead is how my ministry has developed in this area andhow it continues to evolve. Ultimately, all any of us can share authenticallyis our own experience.

I question whether any of us ever sets out to do direction with a particularcategory of directee. Even if you are focused on doing direction a particularconstituency, such as Roman Catholics or Presbyterians, the HolySpirit often arranges otherwise. So we may be surprised to find ourselvesjourneying with clergy, or with gay and lesbian directees. Perhaps we arecalled to work with persons on the edge of the church, with only a toe ortwo still within it—not at all what we had in mind when we began to exercisethis charism and calling. But if you are already working with corporatedirectees or are on the edge of this ministry, then perhaps my reflectionswill be helpful.

Some definition of "spiritual direction in the corporate environment"is important so that we are clear on the context.

To do this requires me to recap how and why I came to the ministry ofspiritual direction. In 1983, people in my own congregation began comingto me informally for direction and spiritual companioning. I simplyaccepted this as a natural dynamic of parish life until my own director ofthat time, an Episcopal priest, Jack Gorsuch, told me of a program that heand several colleagues had started, the Pacific Northwest Spiritual DirectionTraining Program. He felt I had a charism for this work and, with hisencouragement, I emerged two years later as a certificated spiritual director.In 1992 I went back to school for a B.S. in applied behavioral science,specializing in consulting and leadership. The degree gave me skills andsome internal permission to leave the Fortune 500 company in which Ihad worked for nine years, and to begin to combine consulting, corporatecoaching, and spiritual direction. One of my research projects for thisdegree led me to design a model for facilitating clergy-support groups.My work with two of these groups brought me into contact with a broadspectrum of clergy, and I found my direction practice gradually shifting toinclude an increasing number of clergy. It had simply never occurred tome that clergy might choose to work with a lay director.

By 1995, seven of my directees were clergy from a variety of denominationalbackgrounds. But I had met a few newer directees throughconsulting and organizational development. There was interest growingin some managers with whom I had connected in my corporatecoaching work.

Just as my spiritual direction practice with clergy was a surprise development,that corporate managers sought to journey with me was unanticipated.The process by which this typically happened is worth explaining.Frequently I found myself coaching clients who sought discernmentaround spiritual issues and values. With awareness that I was making a shiftin our work together, I would ask questions that touched on the clients'spiritual values and that sometimes evoked awareness of God moving intheir lives within the corporate milieu. Similarly, I found myself bringingcoaching dynamics into spiritual-direction sessions, often with clergy.When I mirrored segments of the narrative back to the one being coachedor in direction, the person often was able to see the issue clearly for thefirst time. Next, questions, discussion, and/or suggestions helped theclient develop alternatives and strategies for working with the issue.

These episodes greatly increased my awareness of the potential for overlapbetween the two disciplines and of the importance of understandingthe differences. I needed to be aware what mode I was in at any givenmoment. I began to tell my directees and clients when I was making a shiftfrom spiritual direction to coaching, or vice versa. It seemed important aswell for them to be aware of my modus operandi, so they could hear andrespond in an appropriate way. It was at this time through word of mouththat corporate managers began to come to me for spiritual direction. Overthe last two years clients have asked to work with me in a mix of both spiritualdirection and coaching.

Avenues into Spiritual Direction in the Corporate World

Let's look at the ways corporate managers come to seek...