I have tried in this book to bring together a cluster of resonating views from a variety of perspectives and disciplines. The perspectives do not create a blueprint so much as a scaffold within which to understand the development of your vocation. I have often quoted my favorite authors, especially:
• philosophers Alisdair MacIntyre and David Carr on our aspirations to virtue
• Adam Smith’s voicing of the values of traditional economics and indignation against injustice
• psychologist Erik Erikson on stages of personal development
• management writer Peter Drucker on vocation and building strengths in organizations
• political economists Vincent and Elinor Ostrom on the development of common goods and
• criminologist John Braithwaite on responsive regulation and restorative justice
They come from disparate disciplines but their views fit into views of the world that are wide, generous and nurturing of the virtues.
They have each provided insights into the different components of what makes for a vocation. Vocation links our psychological needs for achievement and relationships with the social and economic purposes of the organizations in which we work. It involves developing ethics and competence. Vocation is an evolving story of self-authorship, an aspiration as much as a plan, and so provides a context in which to find—and give—forgiveness for errors and failures. It gives us freedom from slavishly following inflexible rules, calls us to challenge injustice where we can make a difference, and construct institutions that provide common goods to flourishing communities.
Those with a sense of vocation may find it uncomfortable to work in organizations where overweening greed and ambition lead to over-servicing, overcharging, dishonesty, and manipulation of others. The finance sector is, however, more than this. It has an important social role in the allocation of capital to its most productive and innovative uses, and the provision of financial security. The first lifts people out of poverty and the second prevents them from entering it. The sector can, however, only fulfill its role to the extent that there are people with the courage to confront injustice, and the wisdom, skill, and imagination to direct energy to where it will be most fruitful.
My hope is that, in this book, you would have found some affirmation of your best desires to develop a vocation of service in the financial industry. If you are starting out, I wish you well as you grow into that vocation. May your work be fruitful, your friendships enriching, and may you enjoy peace and prosperity too! If you are mid-career, I hope that some of the ideas have resonated and helped you clarify what you can do for the better building of our common life together. If you are older and wiser, I challenge you to caste off any cynicism that you have accumulated, and look to make the stands of courage that we need to restore and maintain the integrity of the world that we are building.