February 6, 2012
Ask. Fr. Spitzer
A Level 3 Mission Doesn't Guarantee a Level 3 Culture
Q: I work for a non-profit organization that’s dedicated to helping people. Since that’s what we’re doing already, why would we need the programs the Spitzer Center provides?
A: When you have a Level 3 mission, that doesn’t necessarily mean that all your people are working at Level 3 and you have a Level 3 culture. For example, if you’re a school, you have a step up in trying to achieve a Level 3 culture, because people who choose to be educators are already thinking about helping student. That’s a wonderful thing, but when you bring all these wonderful people together, there’s no guarantee they won’t behave in a way that’s more consistent with Level 2. There are several reasons for this.
First, there’s a difference between having a Level 3 mission – in this case, teaching students – and using Level 3 means to achieve that mission. Even when the “what” is good, decisions about the “how” can still fall short. So you need to step back and look at your means and make sure that they’re consistent with a Level 3 culture.
The second thing, which we talk about a lot in the Journey to Excellence, occurs when Level 3 people find themselves getting into Level 2 competitions. In other words, “I’m doing more good than you are! I’m educating more students than you are! I’m much better than you at educating students!” It’s an easy trap to fall into, and it usually points to a deeper, more basic problem.
When people see our curriculum for the first time, some say, “Hey! This is just common sense.” I always say, “You bet. Isn’t it nice that someone made it explicit?” |
In my experience, many people in Level 3 careers have not “explicitized” their commitment to a Level 3 life. Their commitment is implicit; it’s in the back of their mind, not the front. Then all of a sudden, they find themselves in fierce competition with their peers, or they wake up and realize they’re suffering from a bad case of spiritual pride. And they wonder, “How did that happen?”
And the answer is that Level 3 is not your default drive. Level 2 is a much stronger default, even for people who just have an innate preference for Level 3. They want to make a difference, but they can still become extraordinarily competitive. Even mothers, who are so good at self-sacrificing, can get into competitions with other mothers and do things that are just absurd. And it all goes back to the fact that principles tend to get stuck in the tacit domain. You don’t think about them consciously often at all.
If you want to stay at Level 3 more consistently, you need to spend time each day in contemplation. I tell people taking the Journey to Excellence program, “None of this will do you any good if you don’t put in 10 minutes of time each day – five in the morning, five at night – to orient your life and examine why you’re doing what you’re doing. Without that contemplation, you’ll go right back to your default drive.” We give people questions to reflect on and exercises they can use. If they have faith, we give them prayers to help integrate these principles into their life. The goal is to help Level 3 and Level 4 take hold by making them very explicit.
You’ll still fall back from time to time, but not for long. You’ll recognize that you’re doing it, and you won’t let it get out of hand. That’s what education is all about. It’s not about training, it’s about getting to higher viewpoints and living them.
When people see our curriculum for the first time, some say, “Hey! This is just common sense.” I always say, “You bet. Isn’t it nice that someone made it explicit?” And they say, “Yes, you’re right. It’s much easier to work with now.”
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Last changed: Jun 04 2009 at 7:36 AM