Dr Arnold Smit is Associate Professor of Business in Society and Head of Social Impact at Stellenbosch Business School in South Africa. Arnold has a varied career in church ministry, business consulting and now academia. He is an international authority on business ethics and a leading commentator and coach on vocational living and ‘whole person learning’.
In conversation with Arnold, we talked about making choices between career paths versus portfolio careers, the importance of alignment between personal mission and work to create a sense of vocational living, and what he’s learned from supporting countless leaders to experience ‘whole person learning’ that is not only intellectual, but emotional and spiritual.
Arnold has kindly provided a guest blog below:
Vocational living
In essence I think about life as a vocational journey. In my case it started on a farm in South Africa where I grew up in a home where there was a deep sense of living life as a calling combined with respect for the land and upholding the dignity of all people. My own story evolved into one in which I came to understand myself as a facilitator, helping people, communities, and organisations coming to terms with change, transformation and transition. For me this is the backbone of my career which was firstly spent in parish ministry, then as a leadership and organisational development practitioner and now as a management education academic. My life has therefore mostly been a journey in the interface between different disciplines, between people and systems, between different societal sectors and between what is and what yet can be.
When I did my first change management workshop about 35 years ago, I realised that people appreciate a safe space in which they can deal with the things tripping them up. I also realised the liberating potential of conversations in which people can see the present with fresh eyes and approach the future with a renewed sense of possibility and hope. Nothing is more inspiring for me than being in the “theatre of change” where creative dialogue leads to breakthrough insights and problem-solving amongst people. It is rewarding to see conflicts resolved, collaboration being strengthened, and strategies taking shape.
I have also learned many lessons over the years, the most important of which is to live in tune with the feedback from my environment and allow the evolving and unfolding dynamic of my context to teach me wisdom. As a result I came to the insight that the doors which I kicked hardest against never opened whilst those that I did not expect to open, brought me the greatest joy. In this process I have also learned how important it is to practice discernment, something which I do as regularly as possible through journaling, physical exercise and woodworking. Keeping myself healthy and fit nourishes my body and spirit and provides energy for every day.
As for the future, I hope to maintain the mental and physical strength to practice my life’s calling for many years to come in places where I can be of service to society. I especially hope that our world will not stay stuck in the troublesome fractures of the moment, but that we will find forms of global collaboration and governance through which we can again collectively discover the pathways to a flourishing future for the planet and humanity.
In writing this I am reminded of the words of James Fowler, an author whose views on vocation made a great impression on me: “Vocation is bigger than job or occupation or career. Vocation refers to the centering commitments and vision that shape what our lives as really about. Vocation, rightly understood, gives coherence and purpose to our lives. It gives one’s life integrity, zest, courage and meaning.”
In essence I think about life as a vocational journey. In my case it started on a farm in South Africa where I grew up in a home where there was a deep sense of living life as a calling combined with respect for the land and upholding the dignity of all people. My own story evolved into one in which I came to understand myself as a facilitator, helping people, communities, and organisations coming to terms with change, transformation and transition. For me this is the backbone of my career which was firstly spent in parish ministry, then as a leadership and organisational development practitioner and now as a management education academic. My life has therefore mostly been a journey in the interface between different disciplines, between people and systems, between different societal sectors and between what is and what yet can be.
When I did my first change management workshop about 35 years ago, I realised that people appreciate a safe space in which they can deal with the things tripping them up. I also realised the liberating potential of conversations in which people can see the present with fresh eyes and approach the future with a renewed sense of possibility and hope. Nothing is more inspiring for me than being in the “theatre of change” where creative dialogue leads to breakthrough insights and problem-solving amongst people. It is rewarding to see conflicts resolved, collaboration being strengthened, and strategies taking shape.
I have also learned many lessons over the years, the most important of which is to live in tune with the feedback from my environment and allow the evolving and unfolding dynamic of my context to teach me wisdom. As a result I came to the insight that the doors which I kicked hardest against never opened whilst those that I did not expect to open, brought me the greatest joy. In this process I have also learned how important it is to practice discernment, something which I do as regularly as possible through journaling, physical exercise and woodworking. Keeping myself healthy and fit nourishes my body and spirit and provides energy for every day.
As for the future, I hope to maintain the mental and physical strength to practice my life’s calling for many years to come in places where I can be of service to society. I especially hope that our world will not stay stuck in the troublesome fractures of the moment, but that we will find forms of global collaboration and governance through which we can again collectively discover the pathways to a flourishing future for the planet and humanity.
In writing this I am reminded of the words of James Fowler, an author whose views on vocation made a great impression on me: “Vocation is bigger than job or occupation or career. Vocation refers to the centering commitments and vision that shape what our lives as really about. Vocation, rightly understood, gives coherence and purpose to our lives. It gives one’s life integrity, zest, courage and meaning.”
Find out more about Arnold at https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnold-smit-b0620521/
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