Finding meaning and purpose in your work

This is an excerpt from God Is My CEO 2nd Edition, in which forty business leaders share their timeless wisdom.

Roger Andersen

Former CEO, Young America Corporation

“Attending Wheaton College was impactful, but was also confusing. I was interested in business and economics while my friends were studying to become pastors and missionaries. I would think, Why didn’t I get called? I carried that confusion into my business career. I didn’t connect my faith and work at all; they were two totally different spheres. My faith was ‘filled up’ at church on Sunday and by Wednesday, I was empty. I was living a schizophrenic life. By my early forties, I was successful, but there was something missing.

“I began to research God’s purpose for work and the lights came on! Understanding God’s purpose for work gave tremendous meaning to my labor. It gave me significance. I saw how God created us as coworkers for His purpose. When I became CEO of Young America Corporation, I saw my responsibility as steward for the owners of the business. Young America was owned in part by private equity firms but was also 40 percent owned by the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan. I imagined that I was the overseer of the investment dollars of 10,000 teachers. I had a responsibility for their investment, their retirement. I assumed that their quality of life depended on how I ran the company. I also saw myself as a steward for the well-being of each employee (our human assets). What became fulfilling was leading with respect, honesty, and integrity, yet at the same time driving results.

“Like me, many of us think work and worship are two different departments. They are one and the same. Our work is our worship to God.”

How do you worship God in your work? How do you find meaning and purpose in your work?

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Business leaders face the difficult task of reconciling their personal beliefs with the bottom-line demands of their business obligations. Often, it seems like the conflict between short-term business strategies and their desire to “do the right thing” pull them in opposite directions.

• In God Is My CEO, readers learn how to:Develop their God-given talents and skills, while developing a spiritual center
• Gain ideas and encouragement through real-life stories of successful business leaders who have faced the same challenges
• Learn to apply a practical daily plan to overcome the toughest business issues
• Focus their energies and thoughts on moving forward with a sense of purpose

Many business leaders struggle with the dilemma of being successful and living a life with purpose.God Is My CEO offers a practical and inspirational source of guidance for achieving a balanced and accomplished life.