Does the name August Turak ring a bell? If not, this is what you need to know: A onetime employee of MTV, he went on to found a tech company, then sold it to IBM for a small fortune and retired at age 49. Growing restless, he went to a North Carolina monastery populated by Trappist monks a dozen years ago to seek a renewed focus in life. The experience left him transformed.

A few years ago, Turak made a splash when he won the prestigious $100,000 Templeton Foundation Power of Purpose Prize for an essay he wrote about spirituality. Titled “Brother John,” it was inspired by his friendship with one of the monks at the monastery. Turak followed that up with a four-part online series appearing at Forbes.com titled “Business Secrets of the Trappists: Their business model embodies an invaluable 1,500-year-old management paradigm.”

Learn the secrets for creating a business development strategy that turns prospects into new customers in a recession. Download your free copy of Proven Ways for Getting New Customers without cost or obligation.

Yes, Turak fervently believes the monks’ blend of religious devotion with practical business principles holds valuable lessons for entrepreneurs developing a business development strategy. In particular, he became intrigued by how a group of people devoted to humility can apply their time so efficiently and frugally — Trappist monasteries are economically self-sufficient, selling millions of dollars worth of goods to the outside world — and yet live their lives so joyously.

In a recent telephone chat with FuelNet about business development, Turak explained that the Trappists are guided by a management philosophy that has six basic tenets, applicable to companies large and small:

1. A business needs to be true to an overarching mission that guides everything it does. Striving for profitability by itself isn’t good enough. Although the Trappists’ mission is to honor God and achieve spiritual meaning, Turak says great business leaders identify similar goals through purpose-driven mission statements that press companies to make a positive difference in the world.

2. Selflessness is pursued as a virtue. It begins at the top and involves adopting an attitude of expressing kindness and charity toward the people who work for you and who buy what you sell. It may seem counterintuitive and squishy, Turak says, but being generous toward others with your time and resources comes back to the giver many times over.

3. A commitment to achieving excellence. More than a catchphrase, it is a tool the Trappists use to give their day-to-day tasks deeper meaning. Similarly, employees should be encouraged to take pride in ensuring product quality, so that everyone in the chain of production feels they are a valuable contributor.

4. Ethical behavior and honesty are givens. Ethics are not seen as a liability when the pressure is on and competition is fiercest; they add fuel to the cause and are among those intangible assets that pay off in ways one can never fully anticipate. “While we often think unethical behavior is the result of bad people doing bad things, actually it usually comes from good people doing bad things, acting out of fear and insecurity,” Turak says. “This is where mentoring people and providing positive reinforcement is vital. This is how you change lives.”

5. Embrace faith. There’s something to be said for faith, Turak says, not only in theological terms but also as an expression of the word faithful. To succeed, one must bestow faith in others and in oneself. “The old adage that good things happen to good people is true, and in my own business life I’ve seen it pay off in magical ways,” Turak says, adding that the motivation cannot be one of manipulation but of sincerity.

6. Faith’s essential companion is trust. The paradox is that before ordinary employees become capable of accomplishing extraordinary feats, they must trust in the wisdom of the elder, and it starts with the elder trusting them.

“We’re all looking for the same thing,” Turak says. “Each one of us wants to feel transformed by the experience of what we are doing. We want it to hold meaning. Some people seek religion as a way to achieve it. For others, it is what they do in their professional lives. They don’t have to exist separately. They can be one and the same.”

Permalink: http://www.fuelnet.com/?p=5343