I was
listening to a podcast recently that featured a computer systems engineer who
had worked with six different tech firms over the last 20 years. He had some interesting stories, but what
struck me most about his presentation were some of the words he used—words like
“mission,” “values,” “making a
difference,” and “calling.”
These are all
terms that I am accustomed to hearing in a religious context. In the church we affirm that we have a
mission—the missio Dei (or “mission of God”), we help believers recognize and
act on their values, we encourage congregants to “make a difference” in the
world, and we facilitate each person discovering his or her calling.
How did this
connection or transference originate?
For a number of years, various types of companies have emphasized the
need for a clear vision and a mission statement. These terms could very well have come from
other sources such as the military. The
use of more values-laden terms like “calling,”"servant leadership," “making a difference,” or “giving
back” have emerged in the last couple of decades and previously seemed quite
alien to the corporate environment.
There may be
a number of reasons for this usage, but I think it is definitely connected to
the amount of the time that people spend in their professions and their desire
that their work be something more than simply making a living and acquiring
money.
Max De Pree, a corporate leader, found that "servant leadership" was an effective way to expand management into a new dimension. Writers such as Daniel Pink have pointed out
that money is not always the ultimate motivator for people. As long as they are making an acceptable
wage, they are motivated more by other factors such as the ability to be
innovative, plan their own projects, help others, or positively impact the
lives of their clients or customers.
Whatever the
cause, there is something inside each of us that pushes us to the next
level. Perhaps it is part of an innate
desire that comes from being created in the image of God.
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