March 11, 2010
Confessions of a Recovering Spitzer Skeptic
It was one year ago that I first met Fr. Spitzer and started editing this website. Along the way, I’ve used stories to try to flesh out his philosophy, but I’ve never told the story of my own unlikely path to the Spitzer Center. It’s unlikely because I had theretofore been a certified training skeptic – a fellow whose favorite part of any personal development course was lunch. In my corporate career, which included altogether too many such courses, I regarded them as a waste of time on a par with watching reruns of Gilligan’s Island. Here's the story of how Fr. Spitzer changed my perspective. Read More �
Sign Up for Spitzer Daily Inspirations
Fr. Robert Spitzer has a saying about the Four Levels of Happiness®: “Level 3 has to be chosen again and again.” It is not our default drive, but it can be a product of our freedom and our choices. But choosing it, day in and day out, takes discipline and thought. This challenge prompted the Diocese of Phoenix to give us a great suggestion a while back. Why don’t we provide a more regular way to help people start their day with some inspiration? Ideally, it should be something very brief, like a single quote, to remind people of the ideas they explored more fully in taking the Journey to Excellence program. Read More �
The Level-Minded Observer
Tiger Acknowledges Level 2 Outlook; the Happiness Machine; Invictus; the $177 Bagel
In the year since the Spitzer Center began to publish The Four-Level Leader, we’ve gotten a sense of what types of articles readers find most interesting. You like it when we use the Four Levels as a lens to illuminate events in the news or the broader culture. Articles that break information down into smaller, digestible chunks are also appreciated. This new feature, “The Level-Minded Observer,” aims to do both while providing brief updates on news from the Center. Read More �
Techniques for Avoiding Roadblocks on the Journey to Higher Happiness
A few weeks ago, we talked about the challenge of staying at Level 3 in a Level 2 World. But the biggest hurdles don’t come from the outside but the inside. Seeing the beauty and benefits of Level 3 is one thing; overcoming ingrained habits of Level 2 thinking is another. Spitzer Center Executive Director Jim Berlucchi has been facilitating the Journey to Excellence for years, and he’s on the same journey himself. What follows are some of his own techniques for achieving and keeping a Level 3 identity. Read More �
Spitzer, Collins See Eye to Eye on How the Mighty Fall
One test of the strength of any idea is seeing how closely it corresponds to the real world. The strength and real-world relevance of the Spitzer Center’s message can be seen in the pages of How the Mighty Fall. The best-seller is the latest in a series of books by Jim Collins that explore why some companies thrive while others decline. Collins has aimed his spotlight at organizations Built to Last and described how others have made the journey From Good to Great. By contrast, How the Mighty Fall looks at companies that reached great heights, then stumbled. Read More �
A Dozen Tips for Staying at Level 3 in a Level 2 World
When you make the decision to move from Level 2 to Level 3, the biggest obstacles tend to come from your own internal defaults. But the task of making service to others your primary source of happiness can be tougher when you’re facing a Level 2 headwind. If your workplace or social life is marred by politics, gossip, and gamesmanship, how do you resist the provocations to revert to Level 2? How do you protect yourself while remaining a positive influence? Here are 12 tips to consider. Read More �
Did the Ethics of Health Care Reform Help Scott Brown Win in Massachusetts?
In the wake of Scott Brown’s upset win in the Massachusetts Senate election last week, a lot of observers have offered their views on how a Republican won in such a “blue state.” A case can be made that the ethics of Washington politics helped to tip the balance toward Brown – and by ethics, I don’t mean scandals, crimes, or corruption. I mean that voters and politicians use different ethical standards in judging which actions are permissible and which aren’t. Read More �
Major Catholic Health Care System DEEMs the “Journey” a Trip Worth Taking
Like any large organization built on a mission of helping people, the Sisters of Charity Leavenworth Health System (SCLHS) needs mission-driven employees to succeed. Towards that end, the Catholic, faith-based network of 13 hospitals and clinics has deployed the Journey to Excellence program to help strengthen its broader employee development strategy. Read More �
The Top Ten Level 3 Stories of 2009
It’s customary at this time of year to reflect on the year that has just passed by compiling lists of notable people and events. I was tempted to pick the low-hanging Level 2 fruit every year provides (“2009’s Worst Ethical Lapses” or “The Year’s Most Infamous Cases of Level 2 Dominance”). But I had to ask myself, Do readers really want to rehash Galleon Group’s descent into insider trading … or Christian Bale’s obscenity-laden tirade … or the failings of Governor Sanford or Tiger Woods? While the editor lurking inside me said, “Yes, they do!” a nobler impulse prevailed. So here’s a look back at some of the year’s more memorable Level 3 moments. Read More �
An Antidote for Ethical Disasters
Part two of a two-part series on ethics education for businesses and organizations
If you do a search of companies that offer ethics training and education, you’ll find that many focus almost exclusively on the arena of legal compliance. I made the case earlier that compliance education is necessary but insufficient, and described the risks a company runs in reducing ethics to legal compliance alone. In fact, I called this cramped perspective a recipe for ethical disaster, which raises a question: What does the antidote look like? What follows is a brief overview of four ways to ensure that an organization is laying the groundwork for a truly ethical culture. Read More �
The Levels in Action
What the Media Have Missed in the Tiger Woods Story
We’re going to crawl out on a limb here and guess that Tiger Woods is a very Level 2 guy. It is not the Spitzer Center’s practice to pin this label on people, but we’ll make a guess here (and it is just a guess) because his highly publicized crisis suggests it. The “Tiger Is Level 2 Hypothesis” also helps to explain a lot of things that have his admirers scratching their heads. Read More �
Hollywood’s Greatest Tribute to Level 3
When I was a kid, my siblings and I found it fashionable to mock It’s a Wonderful Life, and regard it as one of those holiday chestnuts that TV stations roasted to death every Christmas. The running joke was that after Thanksgiving, the movie took over the tube and held it hostage. “Are there any movies on tonight besides It’s a Wonderful Life?” we’d ask each other. I have to admit, as I got older the film really grew on me, so much so that I bought my own copy and made it a family tradition to watch it every season. I am not ashamed to admit that there are scenes I still can’t get through without moist eyes. Read More �
A Recipe for Ethical Disaster
Part one of a two-part series on ethics education for businesses and organizations
Is it possible that a common approach to business ethics training might do as much to cause ethical problems as prevent them? While that may seem counterintuitive, it’s a risk that companies run in reducing ethics to little more than legal compliance. Unfortunately, that’s the case today in many organizations, where a legalistic view of ethics holds sway. Read More �
News From the Center
National Catholic Register Shines Its Spotlight on Fr. Spitzer
The December 6-12 edition of the National Catholic Register includes a major profile of Fr. Robert Spitzer and the ambitious agenda he has set for the Spitzer Center for Ethical Leadership and the Magis Institute for Faith and Reason. The 2,000-word article, written by Anthony Flott, included interviews with Fr. Spitzer, Magis President Emeritus Timothy Busch, Spitzer Center Executive Director Jim Berlucchi, and Don Western, a retired executive with Caterpillar, who commented on the impact of Fr. Spitzer’s curriculum at that company. Read More �
Video Story
"Every Person Wants to Leave a Legacy in Life”
Excerpts from Fr. Spitzer Orange Coast Legatus Talk
Fr. Robert Spitzer is often introduced as a compelling and passionate speaker. If you haven’t had a chance to hear him speak yet, here's a chance for you to see what people are talking about. Fr. Spitzer was in Newport, California, on November 10 to address the Orange Coast Chapter of Legatus. His 45-minute talk was recorded, and the video posted below includes nine minutes of excerpts. Read More �
The Levels in Action
How Empathy Engineered the First V-8 Engine
If you think your own boss is tough, imagine working for Henry Ford. Ford is often seen today not just as the founder of the car company named for him, but also as the founder of the My Way or the Highway School of Management. The world has neither forgotten nor quite forgiven his quip about the Model T: “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.” One might assume Ford was equally imperious when dealing with his subordinates, but at least one employee knew how to deal with Ford. Read More �
Ask Fr. Spitzer
What Is It About Our Culture That Needs “Transforming”?
Q: The press release about Fr. Spitzer’s new mission talked about his desire to “transform the culture” through the Spitzer Center and Magis. What sort of transformation are you talking about, and is the work of the two organizations linked in some way or very different?
A: My first book was called Healing the Culture, and as the title made clear, I think there’s something wrong with our culture that needs to be fixed. People describe the root causes of our cultural problems in different ways. Some call it materialism or hedonism; others call it atheism or nihilism. Whatever you call it, I believe there’s a deeper problem beneath these “isms,” and in my view, that problem is despair. Our culture is suffering from a progressive waning of hope. Read More �
The Levels in Action
The Question That Makes My Day
“How can I make an Optimal Positive Difference with my life today?” I had been reflecting on this question, which I call the OPD (optimal positive difference) formula, most mornings for about a month. It was definitely helping. My instinctive self-concern seemed to fade as I launched into my daily challenges. Making a contribution (Level 3) was a much more satisfying orientation than simply leaning into my ego needs (Level 2). Consciously bringing Level 3 to the fore made me actually think about how I could make the world a better place – today. But then a morning came when this familiar morning reflection provoked some discomfort. Read More �
Measuring the Impact Culture Has on Long-term Performance
Most leaders know in their gut that an organization’s culture is bound to affect its performance, but that hunch still leaves some large unanswered questions. How much of an impact does culture have? What types of cultures perform well and which perform poorly? One of the largest studies undertaken to answer these questions was done by two Harvard Business School professors, John Kotter and James Heskett. Here's a look at their intrguing finding and its releationship to the Four Levels of Happiness®. Read More �
Ask Fr. Spitzer
Can You Be Ultimately Happy Without Faith?
Q: I know from the Four Levels Defined page on your website that the fourth level is ultimate or transcendent happiness. My question is, can you be a Level 4 person but not be religious or practice any faith in the traditional sense of that word?
A: Let me offer you my opinion on that. I think people of all backgrounds and beliefs can experience transcendent happiness – and I believe we all have an innate desire for it – but it is a rare thing to find a person who is a Level 4 dominant without faith in God. And the reason it’s rare is that Level 4 without God is impersonal, and it’s hard to make something impersonal the center of your life. Read More �
News from the Center
10 Valuable Insights from Fr. Spitzer’s Roadshow
Now that he’s free to work fulltime to advance the goals of his institutes, Fr. Robert Spitzer hasn’t just hit the ground running, he’s hit the air flying. In the month since his move to his new home base in Irvine, California, Fr. Spitzer has travelled to Phoenix, Cleveland, and Denver to introduce leaders to his philosophy and promote the work of the Spitzer Center. If you haven’t had a chance to hear him speak, here’s an overview of 10 key insights derived from the trio of talks he delivered in Cleveland.
Phoenix Diocese Pioneers a Slow but Steady Approach to Spitzer’s Journey
The Diocese of Phoenix is about halfway through its Journey to Excellence (JTE), which is somewhat unusual since staff there embarked on the course in December of 2008. But the slow pace has nothing to do with foot dragging. After taking the full course themselves, Bishop Thomas Olmsted and his leadership decided that a gradual approach was the best way to let JTE’s lessons take root and flourish. Phoenix Vicar General Fr. Fred Adamson (left) was interviewed for this update on how the Journey is unfolding. Read More �
Ask Fr. Spitzer
How Do You Deal With Pressure From Above to Act Unethically?
Q: I came across a quote from Barbara Toffler, a former partner at Arthur Anderson, who said that “Culture shapes behavior. There are plenty of decent people who go astray because they’re in a culture that creates an environment in which they can’t get their jobs done unless they engage in unethical activities.” What are you supposed to do when many people around you are acting unethically, and you’re under pressure from your boss to cross the line yourself?
A: My advice is simple: Don’t do it! That’s Rule No. 1. Don’t even come close to the edge, because if you do cross that line you’re being pressured to cross, no one will defend you later. Read More �
The Levels in Action
It’s the Empathy, Stupid
A few years ago, I was given the large and challenging assignment of explaining a major shift in business strategy. The corporate division I worked for had been on a losing streak in terms of new product development, so the leadership had appointed a task force to figure out what we were doing wrong. The group came back with a thoughtful analysis of the core problem and a new strategy to overcome it. My job was to rally the troops behind the new effort. Read More �
News Release
Fresh from Transforming Gonzaga, Fr. Robert Spitzer Now Aims to Transform the Culture
Irvine, California, September, 2009: In 11 years as president of Gonzaga University, Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D., earned widespread praise for reinvigorating the school. As of September, he has embraced a broader, nationwide agenda of renewing American culture by developing web-based curricula to address key contemporary issues. Fr. Spitzer’s new mission has taken him to Irvine, California, where he has assumed direct leadership of two institutes he founded: the Spitzer Center for Ethical Leadership and the Magis Institute of Faith and Reason. Read More �
Ask Fr. Spitzer
Is the Size of the National Debt an Ethical Issue?
Q: There’s a lot of debate in the country right now over the size and growth of the national debt. Do you see this as a purely political issue, or is there a legitimate ethical dimension as well?
A: I think there is a very important ethical issue involved here. If we’re running up a very large debt and we don’t pay it back ourselves, then our kids will inherit that debt and they will have to pay it off. They won’t be able to borrow like we’ve been borrowing because the debt has already reached a critical amount, so we’re basically stealing from the younger generation to pay for the excesses of the older generation. Read More �
Beyond the Smiley Face: Understanding What Happiness Really Means
The concept of happiness lies at the core of the Spitzer Center’s curricula, but we understand why this word doesn’t always resonate with leaders when they first hear it. In modern English, the word has been drained of much of its deeper meaning, and the culture at large often trivializes happiness. Fr. Robert Spitzer is practiced in presenting happiness in its proper light. The Four-Level Leader asked him how he does it, and here’s his reply. Read More �
Ethics in Action
The Ethical Lapse the Best of Us Succumb To
There’s a sin that I committed almost daily through much my work life, not through obstinacy but because I didn’t realize that I was doing anything wrong. I’d wager many people reading this column routinely commit the same transgression. It’s ingrained in the culture and human nature, and rarely condemned from the pulpit or by ethicists. Read More �
The Levels in Action
Summing Up Life in Six Words
Do you think that you could summarize your life in just six words? Before you dismiss the notion, you should know, if you don’t already, that many people have accepted the six-word challenge. Their very short stories were gathered into a book entitled Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Famous & Obscure Writers. Read More �
Somewhat Amusing Ethical Anecdotes
A few months back, I purchased a book of business anecdotes, believing it would be filled with edifying stories of relevance to the Spitzer Center’s mission. I was wrong. It was pleasant reading, but few of the entries touched upon issues like ethics, higher purpose, faith, happiness, etc. I thought it best to save the few that did for the dog days of August, and those days have arrived. This article’s modest headline was inspired by one of the anecdotes that follow. Read More �
The Levels in Action
Memo Suggests GM’s Decline Was Caused by a Level 2 Culture
In the wake of GM’s bankruptcy, various reasons were advanced as to why America’s largest automaker failed. We heard a lot about labor and legacy costs, healthcare costs, the credit crunch, and other hardships. But the single largest contributing factor may have been overlooked in most news reports. An insider memo, written in 1988 by one of GM’s top executives, suggests the company’s slow decline was due to its Level 2 culture. Read More �
Ask Fr. Spitzer
What, Me Contemplate? Advice for Those Who Find Contemplation Hard
Q: I know that you advise people to spend time each day in contemplation, but I find that hard to do because I’m not introspective by nature. Have you come across other people with the same problem? What do you tell them? Read More �
Ask Fr. Spitzer
What’s Your Take of Sanford’s Mistake?
Q: Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina made headlines for his extramarital affair in Argentina. Whenever there’s a story like this, some people say it has no impact in terms of the person’s ability to lead, and other people say it makes a huge impact. Who’s right? Should it make a difference or shouldn’t it? Read More �
Interview with Fr. Spitzer
Even “Bulldozers” Can See the Value of Culture
In a recent Q&A column, Fr. Robert Spitzer said an organization can build a Level 3 culture if 20 percent of employees work toward that goal. In this follow-up interview, he discusses his own experience with culture change and describes different conditions that promote change or hinder it. Read More �
The Levels in Action
Bob Costas vs. the Jerk
Back in the late 1980s, I had the pleasure of meeting Bob Costas when he emceed a luncheon to benefit a charity I worked for. My job that day included writing one-line introductions for 60 athletes and sports personalities who were there as celebrity guests. I felt presumptuous handing a pro like Costas 60 index cards with my recommended wording for each introduction. To my surprise, he sat with me and patiently went through all of them. Read More �