Spiritual cults to corporate cult(ures)
It’s pretty common to associate your average spiritual or religious group to be cult-like (at least it has been for me over the years). Any time there’s a mention of a group worshipping a higher power of any kind, it raises both eyebrows and skepticism amongst those of us that 1) lean more logical or 2) have been raised to look within to connect with that higher power. We’ve seen plenty of stories in the media about so called “gurus” taking advantage of their students. Leveraging their savior like charisma to inspire a blind faith and following.
Being of Indian origin, I’ve witnessed those in my extended family fall prey to these very “gurus,” later to be understandably distrustful of any form of faith or spirituality as a result.
So I get it, the power and hierarchy there has been and continues to be abused to satiate the very human desire to control another. Not trying to justify this behavior, but it’s important to note that we all have the capability and capacity to not just hold this desire but also to act on it. And these so called “gurus,” contrary to popular belief, are after all human. It’s our choice ultimately to seek a savior outside of ourselves to fill our voids, whether momentary or not. There’s nothing wrong with this if that’s what you need in a moment in time, but if you are going to engage, do so with just a bit more self-accountability and awareness to avoid any major pit-falls along the way. Stay rooted in yourself and in your power.
So let’s talk about how this same dynamic can also show up in the corporations that so many of us do or have once called our “home” away from home (I’m definitely guilty of this). Corporations who often (not saying always) promote and value individuals with the same savior like charisma and willingness to conform that I mentioned earlier. And why do you think they do this? Is it not to inspire that same blind faith and following that can unite a group of individuals into compliance? And for someone in leadership who is tasked with managing performance, this compliance (while it can be detrimental to innovation and actual growth) is crucial to running a sound and stable business (for the sake of efficiency yes, but also to avoid legal implications usually).
The Covid-era created physical separation with work from home policies and what did individuals in positions of power do in response to this new found employee freedom? They started crafting “unique,” performative culture statements to arouse loyalty and passion for the company. This wasn’t proactive, it was reactionary. A necessary move to stop the bleeding during the “Great Resignation” and maintain some semblance of control. And let’s not confuse control with care.
Heaven forbid individuals actually start to get in touch with their own personal values and bring those to the company to enrich and learn from one another. That’s too dangerous, instead let’s ensure everyone falls in line with our values. And as someone who has seen her fair share of culture statements and values during my time as a consultant, I can tell you the values and statements are the very things the company struggled with the most. They were aspirational at best.
You want to know what it’s actually like to work at a company, you don’t even have to go through the interview process, just take a look at the values and statements they’re making and assess if those values are deal breakers for you or not. More often than not, it’s what they want to be one day, not what they are today. Ok, rant over.
So whether we’re talking about spiritual communities, corporations, or any other form of hierarchical organization that leans on control tactics — they all have the power to take your power away. If you let them, of course.
The problem isn’t in the communities or corporations at large (we do need to work together in some capacity to survive and even thrive at the end of the day), but rather our relationship with what these communities and corporations mean to us vs. what we mean to ourselves.
Are we sacrificing ourselves and the people/places that bring our life joy and meaning to fit in and perform? What is the cost of doing so? Is it worth it? And it’s okay if you think it is, it very well could be worth it to you.
Whatever your truth around the matter is, it’s unique and valid for you and your life circumstance. Just ensure it’s your truth and not someone else’s truth you’re holding up out of a sense of responsibility and obligation (it’s giving hostage). Our power lives inside of us, not with some community or organization that requires a majority of our focus and energy to function in the first place.
Signing off, be well ❤
