'I wanted the business to reflect my spiritual life as a Quaker.' Photo: by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
Talking head: Tess Bailey-Sayer leads the way
‘The facilitators are wise women with rich experience.’
Is it possible to lead with integrity and soul? Can we keep a business on track without sacrificing our values? These questions preoccupied me when I founded a small non-profit company providing psychotherapy to local families. I had experience of managing and supporting others, but absolutely no business experience or acumen. I wanted to develop an organisation that would nurture and sustain those who worked for us, as well as offering an effective and affordable service. I wanted the business to reflect my spiritual life as a Quaker. But when I started to seek advice from financial and legal experts, my deeply-held leadings began to sound naïve or even foolish. Why on earth wouldn’t I want to make a profit? If this wasn’t the priority, how would the business survive?
