Page 101 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win

THE WHY OF WORK

chapter we looked at what we want to be known for—the
strengths and personal values that become our hallmark. In
this chapter we look at how leaders identify the end results
that help us know which way to turn and motivate us to keep
traveling.
Of course, the destinations we refer to are not found on
maps. They are about the visions that call to us, the laurel
wreaths that appeal to us, the relationships that matter to us,
and the ideas that enthrall us. They are about our values,
our desires, and the needs of humanity at large. One person’s
motivating destination is Olympic gold, while another’s is
gold in the bank. One person envisions a renewable planet;
another values most a shining friendship and another an
enlightening idea. Ultimately the abundant life seems to call
us to the impossible—traveling toward many such destina-
tions at the same time.
In this chapter we will explore how leaders establish a
sense of direction or purpose that contributes to meaning
inherent in the abundant organization.

Places to Go: Four Categories of Purpose

We propose four categories of destinations to help employees
find meaning in good times or bad. These categories build
on work by Frankl and others. (See Figure 4.1.) Leaders with
a clear sense of these four categories are better prepared
to establish a compelling vision with a clear line of sight
between the work and the world that receives the work, set
and accomplish goals that add value across multiple score-
cards, and articulate ideas that preserve the learning of the
past and imagine solutions for the future.

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