Meaning -Courage -Leadership-Change-Relevance: A complex vortex propelling evolution!

As my professional life meanders through a late mid-life relevance crisis, I often pose a question to myself again and again...

" Should my work define my life

or

Should my life be defined by "experiences " other than just at my work.

How can I leave behind a stamp of relevance writ all over my existence?

With a little over a decade left to reach my expiry date of being? a? useful professional, I feel the clock ticking furiously against me.? The desire to leave a mark, or being relevant at the workplace, thus growing with each passing day.

Over a lazy weekend, I ponder over this desperation. Why are we so consumed about being relevant in our life in general and at our workplace in particular .

I am drawn to introspect about an uncanny behaviour of a colleague whose retirement is round the corner. How he spends half the day in espousing his profound contributions and the other half in meeting important people in order to prolong his existence in the organisation. Surely, he is going through an existential crisis. He has not been able to reconcile to a life after retirement. I think he is not alone though his reaction may be? highly exaggerated. Is he presenting me a replica of myself if I time travel a decade. He may be thinking that this is the end of his purposeful existence on the planet. In this muddled state of mind and desperation, he is trying to espouse his case for longevity not only by embellishing his achievements but also by belittling the contribution of his peer who is due to succeed him. ?I guess the expiry date of his professional journey has come before he could leave behind a stamp of relevance.

Coming back to the original question? Can meaning be found in life only through one's exploits at the workplace or outside the workplace as well. As psychoanalysts? reason now, life is not primarily a quest for pleasure, as Freud believed, or a quest for power, as Alfred Adler taught, but a quest for meaning. The great task for any person is to find meaning in his or her life. And most of us, seek this meaning at our work.

Viktor E. Frankl in his seminal work, “ Man’s search for meaning” sees three possible sources of meaning in life: in work (doing something significant); in? love (caring for another person) and in courage in difficult times. Work may not be limited to a workplace. The homemaker? may find a lot of meaning in ?assiduously raising a family. But seeking purpose, significance and ?relevance is a cherished goal for most, even for the die-hard epicures. If Goldfish can find purpose in their life by swimming across the aquarium for the food grain, we certainly should not crave for meaning. For the Creator gives us? ample avenues ?to experience that in our lives. Meaning, purpose and relevance in life can also be derived by Love and care for another person as it may require courage and sacrifice to do the same!

That brings to a very important surmise of Frankl regarding finding meaning? in one’s life by displaying courage in difficult times. Sometimes crisis or depressions give rise to courageous people who display the valour to lead communities or countries or colleagues out of a quagmire. At other times, proactive pursuits for driving improvements in humanity are exhibited by innovators or ignited minds which involve a lot of courage and conviction!!

I often reason during my musings… what’s the greatest attribute of a leader…Having read countless literature over the past ?decades, I have come across interesting insights from great thinkers and practitioners on this topic. But my experience tells me that? displaying courage in difficult times is what sets a leader apart from the crowd. Leaders get? confronted? on numerous occasions with situations that require? them to display courage and will power , whether it is while achieving their vision, driving change, inculcating ethical behavior or convincing the stakeholders with their view of the future and how to attain it. Yes, purpose and meaning in life can be derived ?exponentially ?more ?by displaying courage at work and in your life than by some displaying prodigious talent.

You do not need an Ivy League qualification, a hallowed pedigree or the philosopher’s stone to be courageous. A staunch conviction in your value system will give you the courage to drive a necessary change which will simultaneously create a satisfying relevance to your existence on this planet.

So go ahead, I tell my retiring colleague. Display inspiring courage on the bed-rock of your value system. You do not need to the confines of your Corporate to display courage. The whole world is your playground!

Thus, we may safely aver that an incremental or transformational change requires courage, which is critical hallmark of true leadership and will give meaning and purpose to one's life and the stamp of relevance. Remember, evolution has always been triggered by change. Regardless of how humble our station in life and our circle of influence be, for it may be even confined to a single home, do not let it deter you to act with courage to bring about a change. You will get the much needed satisfaction that you did something relevant while you were on this planet. More importantly, it will inspire future generations to act likewise and help carry the existential elixir called evolution!