39 CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP AND FINDING MEANING AND PURPOSE that sense of personal purpose with the organizational purpose. Kendall Bronk defined identity as “personally meaningful aims and beliefs as they pertain to a consistent sense of who one is and who one hopes to become.”33 Purpose describes an “enduring, personally meaningful commitment to what one hopes to accomplish or work toward in life.”34 The search for purpose and for one’s identity can be a similar journey. The development of identity and purpose are cycles that occur over time. Bronk differentiated between identity and purpose as a view of past and future. Identity focuses on past development leading to who one is now. Purpose refers to future development focused on the goals and hopes for accomplishments over the rest of one’s life.35 Daan van Knippenberg defined meaning-based leadership as “leader advocacy of an understanding of organizational purpose and why this purpose is meaningful in an appeal to motivate members to contribute to the pursuit of that purpose.”36 Meaning and purpose are often intertwined, and a leader should consider purpose and meaning as motivational drive for followers. How can leaders instill a sense of meaning and purpose in their daily work? Profit and nonprofit organizations must, of course, be financially viable. Van Knippenberg said, “This should not be taken to mean, however, that the purpose of organizations can be reduced to economic survival and prosperity … Organizations exist in part or whole to fulfill a purpose other than economic performance.”37 How can we as generative leaders emphasize meaning and purpose in our organizations and followers? A generative leader can nurture, model, mentor, support, and help fulfill one’s purpose.38 Chiara Ghislieri and Paola Gatti discussed the value of developmental relationships such as mentoring, coaching, counseling, and tutoring.39 Vali Mehdinezhad and Fatemeh Nouri found that spiritual leadership enables leaders to increase awareness of a deeper meaning and the desire to create a relationship with a transcendent source of meaning.40 Connections with others and a transcendent source may provide “a sense of purpose and meaning.”41 Henry Blackaby and Richard Blackaby discussed a higher calling in regards to these connections and relationships. They stated that “spiritual leadership is not an occupation—it is a calling.”42
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