Jim Collins is wrong. Simon Sinek is wrong. Markus Buckingham is wrong. They’re dead-ends on the pursuit of meaning in life and work.

 

People long for meaning and are stressed out trying to find it. According to most credible analysts, we are in the midst of a meaning crisis. John Vervaeke, Psychology Professor, for example, notes: “We are in the midst of a mental health crisis. There are increases in anxiety disorders, depression, despair, and suicide rates in North America, parts of Europe, and other parts of the world.” There is an unfulfilled pursuit of meaning.

 

So, what are the options in the pursuit of meaning? One option is some variation of humanism. Sean Carroll, author of The Big Picture, explains: “We humans are blobs of organized mud, which through the impersonal workings of nature’s patterns have developed the capacity to contemplate and cherish and engage with the intimidating complexity of the world around us…The meaning we find in life is not transcendent.” Not many people agree. Viewing yourself and others as blobs isn’t very inspiring.

 

Steven Pinker, an evolutionary psychologist and ardent humanist, offers a solution but not inspiration in the pursuit of meaning. In Enlightenment Now, he explains: “The first step towards wisdom is the realization that the laws of the universe don’t care about you. The next is the realization that this does not imply that life is meaningless, because people care about you, and vice versa. You care about yourself, and you have a responsibility to respect the laws of the universe that keep you alive, so you don’t squander your existence.” 

 

What about Jordan Peterson? The McGill Grad is often referred to as the most prominent public intellectual of our times. His speeches and writing respect the Christian tradition, and he delves deep into the meaning and nuances of the biblical narrative. In 12 Rules of Life, he states: “Meaning signifies that you are in the right place, at the right time, properly balanced between order and chaos, where everything lines up as best it can at that moment.”

 

What about meaning in life related to work specifically? Prominent management guru Simon Sinek in The Infinite Game talks about the “Just Cause.” This is “a specific vision of a future state that does not yet exist; a future state so appealing that people are willing to make sacrifices in order to help advance toward that vision”. Interesting, but it gets better. “It is the Just Cause that we are working to advance that gives our work and our lives meaning.” No. Wrong. It doesn’t give your life meaning. You should have meaning in life—work fits into it and not the other way around.

 

Another management guru getting outside his sweet spot is Jim Collins. In Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0, he says: “You too can build a company that you look back on at the end of your life, and say, 'I’m proud of what I’m leaving behind, and I respect myself for the way I’ve gone about doing it.  My life has been well spent.” No. Wrong. Your life has not been well spent building a company. You should build a life, and your work fits into it.

 

Another leading management thinker is Marcus Buckingham who has evolved to a New Age sage. He is, by his own admission, “wyrd.” He enlightens us in Love and Work that we all have a “wyrd.” He explains that “It’s an ancient Norse term, the idea that each person is born with a unique spirit. This spirit is unique to you, and guides you to love some things and loathe others.” [40]

 

So, to thrive in life, begin with this leap of faith: “inside of you is a Wyrd, an extraordinarily complex combination of loves and loathes. This combination has the potential to be beautiful and powerful. It is the source of all your success, and your saviour when the world seems set against you.” Wow.

 

Closer to the mark is Nazi concentration camp survivor Viktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning. He explains that “Man’s search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life….This meaning is unique and specific in that it must and can only be fulfilled by him alone…” Meaning is found within and not without—and not defined by work.

 

In the pursuit of meaning, perhaps faith traditions that have grappled with it for thousands of years might add something. As Rodney Stark, The Triumph of Faith, points out, “People want to know why the universe exists, not that it exists for no reason, and they don’t want their lives to be pointless.  Only religion provides credible and satisfactory answers to the great existential questions.”  

 

So, where do you find a meaningful life and work? Jim Collins, Simon Sinek and Marcus Buckingham are dead-ends. Instead, join the ELO Network and find out.