Spirituality and Entrepreneurship Lecture - April 2010 - Ajmer, India

1. SPIRITUALITY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP Lecture april 16, 2010 Ajmer, India

5. WHAT IS SPIRITUALITY? If I ask you what is spirituality you may say: Religion, mysticism, vague concept an inner force authenticity transformation acting from within integral, holistic intuitive actions beyond the mind, harmony Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

6. SPIRITUALITY FOR A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH For validity issues An Inner side: difficult to measure, difficult to express, is an individual process, no spiritual experience is similar to another, can be mystical, can be religious based. Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

7. SPIRITUALITY FOR A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH For validity issues An outer side: beliefs, values, behaviors, Thinking, feelings and behaviors aligned with someone’s authenticity, role of someone’s calling Focus on techniques and their effects Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

9. SPIRITUALITY IN THE BUSINESS CONTEXT Three ways of looking at economic development: -Incremental changes -Whole systems thinking -Spiritual Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

10. DEFINITION OF SPIRITUALITY The unique, inner relationship that each being has to their core or soul beyond our outer self or ego which consists of body, mind and emotions, we have an inner core which is the soul, inner divine spark Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

11. DEFINITION OF SPIRITUALITY Spirituality basically means evolving from identifying and being driven by the outer self to seeking and aligning our lives, thoughts, words and actions to this inner, divine spark Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

12. MISCONCEPTIONS OF SPIRITUALITY spirituality means renouncing worldly preoccupations and success and living a life of poverty and even retreat Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

13. WHY SPIRITUALITY THROUGH ENTREPRENEURSHIP? Businesses have a lot of ideas but often there is a lack of peace of mind Without that there is no focus And therefore growth will be initiated based on opportunities But opportunities are like buses, Richard Branson an entrepreneur said, they come and go and every minute another one comes Only with focus good decisions can be made. That focus can be gained through spirituality practices Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

16. ARE ENTREPRENEURS READY FOR THE TRANSFORMATION? -Corporate social responsibility: Body shop, Shell -Conscious customer -Dow Jones Dharma Index -India’s spiritual heritage counts as she plays an important role now in the Entrepreneurial arena Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

17. ARE ENTREPRENEURS READY FOR THE TRANSFORMATION? -Big corporate scandals(Enron, WorldCom, Lernout & Hauspie, Ahold, and most recently, Satyam) leads to the insight that material wealth as main drive doesn’t lead to sustainable business practices Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

18. ARE WE READY FOR THE TRANSFORMATION? Main trend at the individual level: Cultural creatives as a subculture across the globe In the Netherlands we have 1,6 million cultural creatives (source: MarketResponse) in Europe about 80 million in America about 50 million Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

19. RESEARCH ON SPIRITUALITY Positive correlation with Leadership Absenteeism Productivity Turnover Ethicality Lower stress and well-being Commitment Satisfaction Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

20. MINDFULNESS, YOGA, MEDITATION Creativity Lower stress Higher concentration Flexible mind Mental clarity Acceptance of negative emotions Capacity to organize Feeling of self fullfilment Higher satisfaction Higher commitment to task Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

21. ENTREPRENEURS ABOUT SPIRITUALITY Indian entrepreneurs in USA a deeper connection with religiousness sources of motivation sources of wellbeing and connectedness in the sense of doing good for society Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

22. INDIAN ENTREPRENEURS Spirituality as religious beliefs “ good habits” often derived from their Hindu religion like: They do not consume any alcoholic beverages Strict vegetarian diet prayers (Puja) in the morning and visit to the temple Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

23. INDIAN ENTREPRENEURS Health and well-being: starting a day with pranayama meditation going into silence into deep breathing Practices to connect to their inner soul Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

24. INDIAN ENTREPRENEURS Society related: Doing good to society Voluntary work Charity Not only company profits as main drive Holistic views in management Employees talents and positive approaches towards human capital Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

25. ENTREPRENEURS ABOUT SPIRITUALITY European entrepreneurs (1) thinking about the existence of life, and reflecting upon actions (2) acting decently according to ethical codes related to ethical behavior and openness towards others and voluntary work (3) considering consequences of actions related to contribution to others, and environmental issues Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

26. ENTREPRENEURS ABOUT SPIRITUALITY Study Financieel dagblad 33% of the entrepreneurs and 25% of the managers say they stimulate topics such as spirituality and religion during work, somehow, or strongly. about 50% of the entrepreneurs and managers think the current crisis is a consequent of soulless actions. 33% thinks we can only solve the current economic problems if we transform our thinking, feelings and actions driven by spirituality Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

27. ENTREPRENEURS ABOUT SPIRITUALITY Study Financieel dagblad one third thinks that focus on soul based actions will lead to more success about 40% thinks that sustainable development and growth is only feasible if the strategy is in line with a soul based thinking. but only 15% of the entrepreneurs think in their own business spirituality should get a more dominant place. Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

28. IN PRACTICE Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

29. THE DIAMOND IN YOU (CHAUDURI) Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

30. HOW TO PUT IT INTO PRACTICE AS EMPLOYEE/ STUDENT Deep breathing exercise creates space in the mind helpful when using the mind for long hours a day Yoga asanas relax the body and mind, helps to shift between modes in thinking, esp helpful when working on different tasks Closing the day with a reflection (diary: what happened vs what were the feelings) During a busy day try to still the mind Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

31. EXAMPLES OF EXERCISES Transformation of pain into bliss: AAH---OOH---HMM 5 sheath meditation (chanting, spine as white energy tube, prayer, seeing with eyes closed, the silent in you) Deep breathing helps anytime/ even with headache Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

32. EXAMPLES OF EXERCISES Visualization of longings gives self confidence Affirmative meditation “ I am” Inquiry in couples “who are you” Mindfulness: stomach breath and backward counting Mindfulness breathing and discovering of healing power Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

33. EXAMPLES OF EXERCISES Chakra related breathing (pranayamas) Chakra related postures (asanas) Visualization of colors Repeating of words Chanting Mantras Mind stilling exercises Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

34. LESSONS LEARNED Coaches, doctors, students, own staff, a ministry -Take very small steps -Don’t act like a swami/ spiritual teacher -Explain first/ mental level -Acknowledge fears -Then experience Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

35. LESSONS LEARNED - Give them freedom to quite -Stress that it should come from within to be sustainable and to let it become a more habitual part of you -Acknowledge several paths/ tools -Be ready to change to the needs of the group “ an Indian way” Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

36. Jodhpur, India 1901 Suriname 1966 Netherlands 1985

37. PAST AND FUTURE Associate prof. at Nyenrode Business University Founder Praan Solutions [email_address] [email_address] Professional life: psychology, economics, spirituality courses My Gurus Yoga, Meditation, Mindfulness Help businesses more with spirituality practices by setting up An academy on spirituality and entrepreneurship Transformation projects and Research Dr. Sharda Nandram, the Netherlands

38. DISCUSSION / QUESTIONS? Thank you!