A Time of Meaning Crisis and Resilient Leadership

I was raised with a very certain perception of leadership, influenced by movies, TV series, politics, the 1980s and 1990s. I was taught that being a leader meant accomplishing goals, moving forward, resolving issues, and never displaying weakness. The most effective leaders maintained composure, acted swiftly, and wasted no time on feelings or uncertainty.

However, I've never been comfortable with this. I revolted against it rather than merely questioning it. I witnessed firsthand how this unrelenting emphasis on control and success depleted others around me even when I was younger. I was examining individuals who appeared to be successful on the outside but were lost on the inside. They were wealthy, powerful, and well-regarded, yet they had no true identity. They never led from the heart; they led from the intellect.

I opposed this notion of leadership for years. I was not interested in taking charge. I didn't want to sacrifice purpose for achievement. However, the question still stood: What else should leadership be if this isn't it?

I pursued a different route as a result of that question, one that went beyond output and performance to something more profound: the pursuit of meaning.

I see it everywhere in leadership today, and John Vervaeke refers to it as the Meaning Crisis. It is the result of leaders losing touch with their higher purpose. when they become so consumed with success that they lose sight of who they are.

However, that isn't always the case with leadership.

The Crisis No One Wants to Discuss Many leaders feel lost, but they won't publicly acknowledge it. Even though they're always active and moving, something feels empty. I've dealt with CEOs, business owners, and executives who seem to be content despite having all they could ever want. Lack of meaning is the issue, not a lack of success.

Teams sense when their leaders are meaningless. Leadership becomes transactional in the absence of a more profound goal. People stop participating. The result is a decline in creativity. Without any true sense of direction, work becomes a never-ending loop of assignments, meetings, and deadlines.

This is something I have witnessed in leadership teams, businesses, and even in my own life. The good news? Meaning is something you make, not something you search for.

What We Can Learn About Leadership From Ancient Wisdom

Vervaeke's study investigates the ways in which philosophy, cognitive science, and traditional traditions might aid in our quest for meaning. The thing that most impressed me was how well his observations matched the knowledge of indigenous civilizations, Stoic philosophy, and nature itself—all of which have impacted my own path.

For thousands of years, being a leader involved more than just achievement and power. It has to do with wisdom. In addition to making decisions, leaders also served as mentors, visionaries, and interpreters of meaning for their followers. Serving something bigger than oneself was the goal of leadership, whether it came from spiritual instructors, Stoic philosophers, or tribal elders.

We lost that sometime along the line. However, we can restore it.

How I Began to Discover Purpose in Leadership

Boardrooms and business books didn't have the answers I was looking for. I discovered them in the outdoors, in breathwork, and in quiet times when my natural urge to "do" had to give up.

Along the road, I've discovered the following regarding leadership and meaning:

• A strategy is not a vision—This is a calling.

According to the PR6 resilience model, vision is the ability to look beyond the here and now, past the next objective, and toward the future. In addition to being lost themselves, leaders who lack this sense of direction unintentionally bring their teams into the same limbo.

I used to believe that having a vision meant having lofty objectives. I view it differently now. It is not possible to "create" vision. You find out about it. Just slow down enough to hear it; it's already there.

Practice: Ask yourself, "Who do I want to be in the next year?" rather than setting down "goals" for the upcoming year.

Next, construct upon that base.

• Calm: The Strength of Silence amid Anger

I stress mind-body techniques and breathwork in leadership coaching for a reason. Most leaders believe that maintaining composure entails managing feelings. It doesn't. Learning to weather storms without losing your identity is the key to maintaining composure.

At 3,800 meters above sea level, where air is scarce, the cold stings, and every step requires effort, I have led resilience exercises. Those leaders who sought to force their way through those situations were not the ones who succeeded. It was they who discovered peace amidst hardship.

That is the hallmark of outstanding leadership. not responding. Not in a hurry. but being able to deal with ambiguity.

?? Practice: Take a moment before making a big decision. Breathe deeply three times. Take a look at your body. Take note of whether you're making the choice under stress or with clarity.

• Nature as the Best Mentor for Leadership

Get lost in nature if you want to understand yourself. Something changes each time I take leads into the mountains, whether it's for silent introspection, a solo journey, or altitude training. They begin to listen differently than before.

Indigenous cultures have traditionally looked to nature for wisdom for a reason. Nature takes its time. It doesn't exert pressure. It has a rhythm to its movements. Leaders that are aware of this begin to lead from alignment rather than stress.

?? Exercise: Spend twenty minutes outside today. No phone. Avoid any distractions. Simply watch. The motion of the trees. The feel of the air. When you stop providing constant input, observe how your own condition changes.

• 4. Leadership Is Meaning-Making—Meaning Is Collective

Meaning is more than simply personal, which was one of my greatest epiphanies. It is shared. The most effective leaders create spaces where others can find purpose in addition to finding meaning for themselves.

It's not a lack of talent that makes many firms seem empty. That's because they don't connect. People disconnect from their work when they don't experience a stronger sense of purpose. Your role as a leader is to create meaning for both you and the people you lead, not only to get results.

?? Exercise: Try asking, "What's something meaningful that happened in your work this week?" at the beginning of your next team meeting rather than, "What's on the agenda?"

Take note of the change.

I no longer consider leadership to be only a position. It's a habit. a discipline. A state of being. We need more than just more capable leaders, as Vervaeke's Awakening from the Meaning Crisis reaffirmed for me after years of feeling. More awakened ones are needed.

My favorite leaders do more than just carry out their duties. They're reflective. They get along. They give meaning where none before existed.

There is a crisis of meaning. However, if you're prepared to face the discomfort of introspection, silence, and reestablishing a connection with your body and environment, you'll discover something that most leaders never do:

Clarity.

And if you have that, being a leader is no longer draining. It becomes second nature.