Today I’m excited to share a conversation with author, Spiritual Leader and Difference Maker Temple Hayes. She serves as CEO and Spiritual Leader of First Unity Spiritual Campus, a Global New Thought center, in St. Petersburg, Florida that transcends religious denominations, embraces all ethnicity, and reaches beyond national borders, as well as on the leadership team of the Association of Global New Thought. She is also the Founder of The Institute for Leadership and Lifelong Learning, International.
What experience has inspired you the most in your journey of becoming a conscious business leader?
When I was in between ministries, I traveled internationally and specialized in stress management. The company that I represented in the US and the UK hosted stress solutions programs for employees who were sent to my workshops by their employers. In other words, they were so stressed they did not come willingly. Sadly, so many of them were employed at places where they wanted to make a difference – Healthcare, non profits, churches and they were burnt out. It was evident to me way back then the inconsistencies with mission and vision statements and how organizations can quickly get out of sync with what they stand for.
I have employees work from different parts of the country and they create their own hours and work the days they pick. They are happy and being a martyr and stressed is not aloud. We are all committed to live our vision and walk our talk.
Many people carry the belief that work is not supposed to be fun and yet it is creativity which creates the genius we need to move forward.
What 3 tips would you give any leader for making a meaningful difference in the lives of their direct reports?
1) Leadership is not a title, it is how you respond to everyday situations. Start habits you intend to live with; don’t be predictable unless you are a predictable person
2) Share what you feel you can contribute to the organization openly and freely, do not complain unless you are willing to follow through with change
3) Do not agree to replace someone else’s resume. Create your own according to your own passions and visions. With every person through the years which has left, we discard their job description and allow current trends,demands and their talents to create the new called forth now
What are 1 to 3 mindset changes business leaders need to make in order to truly create a working environment that fosters inspiration, connectedness, and transformational personal growth?
1) Be comfortable with yourself so powerful people won’t intimidate nor threaten you
2) People do not need to do it like you and often can do it so much better
3) Do not have a rope around creativity with your people; it makes you look weak and insecure
How do you see the connection between business success and personal transformation for today’s leaders?
The more I work on myself; the more effective I am as a leader. People love to work with people who carry the magnet of success. It’s contagious. If you are excited about what you represent others will join you. The most important belief is to know people work with you rather than for you.
What’s the biggest change in the way organizations will need to function in the future related to using its human capital compared to 10 or 15 years ago?
Leaders will work more from a trust factor of allowing people to be free to choose their own environment in which to work. We will see more and more people working from home, less stress in commuting. We will see people employed internationally rather than locally. People who are empowered will be more collaborative. I have found if I allow our employees to cocreate, they do not feel it is necessary to leave and go somewhere else for their dreams to come true. They can create right where they are.
We call them Spiritpreneurs….Spiritual Entrepreneurs
Purpose and Community are more important to younger generations. How do you see those focus areas to improve business results, retention, and recruitment for your organization?
For my organization we had to grow into our banner. We claim inclusion and diversity while being aware years ago that we needed intentional planning and work to be done.
So many companies think inclusion and diversity is talking about it when it is really to be aware and be in a place of action. I am constantly aware with every image and every performance or gathering, where is the diversity?
Given your commitment as a conscious business leader, what’s your approach to developing leaders to encourage greater consciousness?
I train and mentor leaders to be comfortable with their own passions and purpose. They are not meant to compete or hold anyone back from being greater than they are.
I model being thrilled with someone can replace me rather than diminished by it. A true leader is supposed to always be able to replace themselves.
What do you see as the key qualities of a conscious business leader?
Balanced, grounded, engaged and excited in what you stand for, fluid, flexible, no box thinking at all, emerging, learning everyday, clear and confident in what you believe.
What is your biggest challenge as a conscious business leader?
knowing the difference between being creative and being busy – I admit I am personally powerless over my calendar and often need help LOL
What do you think the biggest changes we will see in the workplace twenty years from now due to conscious business leadership’s growth?
People will be hired according to talents versus credentials. We will support young people not starting out in life out of college with 125,000 debts and required to pay it back.
We have people in our society who have their social security garnished to pay back their college debt; unbelievable.
We will support people to come from passions rather than positions and from principles first then policies.
How can our readers follow you or your company on social media, and get a copy of your book?
social @templehayes