HerWork

New to LA, new to the entertainment industry, new to this job -- and now my boss wanted me to lie for him.

It was simple stuff, like telling callers he wasn't there when he really just didn't want to talk to them. And maybe most of Hollywood did business that way. I was freshly minted from out of state; this was my first entertainment industry job. And, I had only been hired on a trial basis.

But the lying just felt wrong. I mean, he'd be standing right next to me, saying, "Tell them I'm not here." Not being a consummate liar, I didn't think I sounded that convincing on the phone.

The whole move to LA had been a big gamble for me. The only thing that had given me the strength to do it was my connection with Spirit. I felt Spirit had guided me every step of the way. And now I was supposed to lie to get ahead?

Something in my spiritual study helped me figure it out. Mary Baker Eddy, in her book Science and Health, uses many different names for Spirit. These names, or synonyms, bring out the multi-faceted nature of the Divine.

• Principle
• Mind
• Soul
• Spirit
• Life
• Truth
• Love

I felt that by lying I'd be betraying the concept of the Divine as Truth. But my irritated boss was convinced I was just being unreasonable. And when I tried to look at things from his perspective, I could see his point. If I strictly always only told the literal truth, I could do a lot of damage. With his temper occasionally flaring up, I could see I'd have to do more. In order to keep to my standard of honesty, I'd have to bring something else to the table.

That something else was another of the concepts of the Divine -- Love. Since I was learning that Spirit was also Truth and Love, I realized these all must work together for harmony. There is no space where Truth is that Love is not. There is no loving act that is not supported by being truthful; there is no genuine honesty that is not laced with love.

In order to keep my job, I would have to show my boss that honesty was not just some ideal I was sticking to, but something I was doing out of respect for him and for the company. I had to show over time that, in effect, I was doing it out of love.

This wasn't always easy. He had a short-term need for me to cover for him, and I didn't know if the long-term benefits of my integrity would show in time. One day, though, I hit on the idea of not actually saying he wasn't there, but instead saying as graciously as I could, "He's unavailable right now. May I take a message for you and be sure he gets back to you as soon as possible?"

At first, my boss thought this would reflect badly on him. But when he saw that the callers responded favorably to my politeness and respect, he agreed that I could answer the phone that way.

In the coming months, I worked hard to be reliable to him in all ways, not just in answering the phone. I proved that I could be discreet while still being truthful. As the months went by, he began to appreciate the honesty and care behind the refusal to be dishonest. We even started to joke about my keeping him in line. Ultimately, I was the person he always came to when wanting to know "exactly what's going on around here!"

Honesty is the best policy, and it's strengthened by love.

Ah, another day, another blog. I’m starting this blog because some friends and I are excited about the possibilities of Spirit and the workplace. What a great world it would be if everyone were doing jobs they love, blessing the community, and making a profit all at the same time! Spirit can make it all happen.

So I’ll be writing about times in my career I’ve turned to Spirit in my search for workplace harmony. I’ll probably talk about the business books that have inspired me, and maybe even movies or TV shows that demonstrate the ideal of bringing our better selves to work.

I’d love it if you would comment on this blog, or join the discussions on SpiritOnTheJob.com, the website community devoted to this new trend in business.

Best wishes,

Laura

So glad to be part of the SpiritOnTheJob network!