36 Ducere Est Servire: THE LEADERSHIP JOURNAL OF DALLAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY significance), when they feel their behavior is goal-directed (purpose), or when their life makes sense (coherence).”9 Viktor Frankl felt that to achieve personal meaning, an individual must transcend pleasure and power by doing something that “points, and is directed to something, or someone, other than oneself . . . by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love.”10 Additionally, the research on personal meaning shows that a belief system and experience are key to finding meaning.11 Meaning is created through this foundation as well as through choices and relationships made; specifically, the Christian leader has the challenge to model themselves after Jesus and to “give our life away” or “lose our life.”12 This giving process of generativity in turn creates meaning and purpose, both to leader and follower, and potentially to the organization as well. Generativity and Christian Leadership According to McAdams and de St. Aubin, generativity may take multiple forms. It may be institutional, organizational, individual or cultural. There are generative societies, generative organizations, generative people, and generative situations, and even generative moments.13 One can have a generative faith, a generative hope, generative care, or a generative product.14 Generativity can occur with micro acts at the individual level of a leader within an organization or can already be engrained in a culture. A generative leader is committed to caring for others and constructing ideas and products. By contrast, a stagnant leader is inactive in generative matters, and the antithesis of care may be evident. Erikson called this rejectivity: “the unwillingness to include specified persons or groups in one’s generative concern—one does not care to care for them.”15 He also described stagnation as self-absorption, boredom, or interpersonal impoverishment.16 Second Timothy 3:2a (NIV) states that “people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud.” This “me-first” outlook may impact one’s generative commitment and actions, and ultimately undermine the goal of serving one’s followers.
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