Planted Living
"Planted Living" reflects the power of agrarian metaphors and is intended to remind us that though we are individually planted in particular contexts, that in our living we have the capacity to transform those contexts.
My Background
A pursuit of meaningful work -
Since my first summer job, my imagination has been captured by ideas about work and life. Dignity, intersectionality, hope and stakeholder theory, were values I felt before I had the language to describe them. Now, I seek to offer resources to turn these aspirational terms into lived realities.
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My experiences working with co-workers, contractors, volunteers and direct reports have reinforced the importance of bringing dignity to people through their work. During my Masters of Divinity program I explored the capacity that intentional systems and interactions have for providing care, renewal and flourishing. Between my academic pursuits and lived experiences, I have recognized that we spend most of our lives being formed and forming others through work, regardless of whether we recognize this or make it an intentional priority. Personal study, coaching, consulting and teaching as an adjunct professor of business ethics, continues to reveal the capacity of work to transform individuals, communities and the earth. I aspire to continue to help people see, practice and experience transformative hope in and through their work.
Meaningful work invites individuals, organizations, and ultimately their (global) communities to flourish. Over the years, it has become my belief, that such a meaningful life can be realized when our values are integrated into our work and life.
Our desire to flourish can be more than an aspiration. By building values-driven strategic process using social science and organizational psychology, individuals and organizations can develop work practices and lives that are meaningful for individuals, organizations and their many stakeholders.
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Blessings, Peace and Hope ~
Tom Parks
3 Foundational Approaches
How and why you work is undergirded by three central forces. Work becomes meaningful when they are aligned. At Planted Living we will explore, discern and develop practices to make work meaningful.
Who we are, what really matters and our capacity to bring about change.
Identity
The development of what has been or is meaningful to us, and how to integrate that into our lives.
Values
The people, places and ways are connected, the quality of those relationships and capacity for new ones.
Community
Core Values
At Planted Living, the character of the company, the quality of the work it performs and how it goes about that work matters. The core values of Planted Living provide a new way of encountering and engaging work.
01
Humility
A posture that reflects a willingness to listen, learn and improve as a person and professional.
03
Integrity
A determined persistence that pursues the truth, speaks it and practices it in life and work.
02
Passion
A pursuit of excellence that is inextricably tied to its value for our clients and our collective stakeholders.
04
Empathy
The willingness to put oneself in a position to relate with another person or organization.
05
Integration
The intentional process of addressing personal realities and a myriad of contexts through research, reflection and action.
06
Transformation
The use of an imagination to develop life-giving aspirations match with the courage to pursue the practices.
07
Hope
A willingness to live within possibilities that are not fully evident.
