“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14: 16-18).
Corporate social responsibility. Sustainability. Social justice.
Across all industries, there’s opportunity for Catholic entrepreneurs and leaders to allow the gifts of the Holy Spirit to guide the development of their corporate mission and values and to become a force for good in the world.
We were made for Christ to be in us, to be different from the world we reside in, and to pursue greatness and let His heart shine forth through ours. Is there anything more breathtaking than the fact that despite our shortcomings and our failures, our God knows our worries and assures us that He has provisioned for us and will never leave us?
The Gospel of John relays the beautiful story of the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost: “Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:21-23).
Gifts and Fruits for Our Business Plans
Wisdom. Understanding. Counsel. Fortitude. Knowledge. Piety. Fear of the Lord.
In sending us the Holy Spirit, Christ imparted to us seven distinct and powerful gifts of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1831). The resulting fruits of the Spirit — charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity — are manifestations of an internal life lived according to the gifts.
What’s fascinating is that these gifts look similar to the traits that top leaders seek as they pursue success for themselves and their business, perhaps not entirely by coincidence:
Wisdom — a gift of the heart to recognize and desire the pursuit of the greatest Truth.
Understanding — a gift of the mind to grasp the essence of faith.
Counsel — a gift that elevates prudence to the highest heights of right judgment.
Fortitude — a gift of profound conviction.
Knowledge — a gift to understand and fulfill our singular purpose in life.
Piety — a gift of relationship that fosters the desire to worship and serve God.
Fear of the Lord — a gift of awareness, perfecting hope in the awesomeness of Christ.
Just as we light a lamp to give light to everyone present, these virtues are meant to shine through us as a testament to the treasures we’ve been given (Matthew 5:16). We’re called to be leaders in our homes and our workplaces, creating environments aligned with Catholic social teaching from a deep conviction of who we are and what we believe. Catholic entrepreneurs have an even more profound opportunity to develop guiding principles and core values for their organizations that uphold a mission of doing good and that reflect these virtues and values.
Building Catholic Social Teaching Into Corporate Purpose
If you’re an entrepreneur or in a leadership position, how can you begin to put structure around your corporate impact objectives?
1. Begin With Mission
What is your business all about? What is your heart all about? What fulfills your purpose in life, and what, in particular, moves you outward toward serving others? Put your mission statement on paper.
2. Establish Core Values
To accomplish your business objectives and missional objectives, what values and ideals must you and your team uphold? With what voice do you want to speak about philanthropy and volunteering?
3. Cultivate a Culture of Good
Make your core values and mission statement living and breathing principles that are spoken about, viewed in your workspaces and prized.
4. Establish Nonprofit Partnerships
Choose ministries whose missions align with your values, and seek ways to get involved with them.
5. Track Your Progress Toward Your Goals
The only way to know how far you’ve come is to see where your vision began.
6. Consider Creating an Impact Report to Share Internally and Externally
Whereas annual reports are traditionally all-encompassing, and impact reports are typically associated with nonprofits, perhaps you could be creative with depicting all that your business accomplished the previous year. Share statistics in whichever way you feel comfortable with; there’s no need to divulge dollar amounts if you don’t feel called to it. Above all, ensure that you’re telling your story of giving with complete authenticity, sincerity, and truth.
Knowing Who We Are and the Power We’re Given
Giving and serving abundantly is the truest possible form of loving one’s neighbor. The desire and ability for companies to shift their perspective from a revenue-generating, for-profit corporation to focus on the poor, the lonely, the imprisoned, and the suffering of the world is nothing short of applaudable. Money is power, and every time a customer or consumer buys something, he or she buys into something greater than a product’s face value. We support the brands that we purchase from.
I think that’s why we’re seeing such a spike in corporate social responsibility; in pledging percentages of product, profit, time, or equity or in doing good for the planet; in traceability and sustainability and transparency. It’s important, and more and more people are taking the time to care. They want to learn about the purpose of your company, the heartbeat of your organization. It’s the same for large corporations and small nonprofits alike.
Does Pentecost Have a Place in Our Heart and in Our Work?
Catholic entrepreneurs have the awesome opportunity to take corporate mission and giving a step further by staying grounded in the deep knowledge of the gifts bestowed on them. God the Holy Spirit resides in us, and He is waiting to shine through us and our business to a world that “neither sees nor knows it” (John 14:17).
Laura Pugliano is marketing and content strategist at the digital solutions provider Candoris and an alumna of Franciscan University of Steubenville. Along with her husband, she’s working to launch a brand and bottle the olive oil that her Italian in-laws produce in Southern Italy, where she and her family spend summers in the sea, sun, and olive groves. Join Laura on Twitter and Instagram.