Page 268 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win

THE WHY OF WORK

now home to about 650 students—about 400 shy of capac-
ity. President Smith and his faculty and staff are passionate
about their mission and deeply proud of their accomplish-
ments: on average, entering students come in at about the
68th percentile academically and leave at the 93rd, with 55
percent going on to graduate programs. The students also
graduate in less time, are significantly more satisfied with
almost every aspect of their college experience, and are bet-
ter prepared for jobs and graduate schools than comparable
students attending competitor schools.
Southern Virginia University is ringing wet with meaning
and organizational abundance. Like many start-ups, it faces
inevitable financial struggles. Small, more expensive than its
competitors, and in a remote location, SVU faces a constant
uphill battle to pay the bills and come to the attention of pro-
spective students. President Smith’s business challenge is not
about how to motivate employees with a compelling vision,
great colleagues, challenging opportunities, or a positive
work environment; SVU is already steeped in all the drivers
of meaning. His task is to convincingly share with poten-
tial students and donors the particular world of meaning he
and others have created so compellingly and to ground that
meaning in fiscal disciplines and organizational capabilities
to sustain it. Like many start-ups or purpose-driven enter-
prises, meaning is at the heart of SVU’s very existence, but
alone it will not be sufficient to ensure its success.
At perhaps another extreme would be a large business
conglomerate in existence for a long time. We recently
rented a car from an airport kiosk of just such a large national
agency. While waiting for the paperwork to be processed, we
asked a young employee standing nearby how she felt about
her job. She candidly but somewhat sheepishly reported

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