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Meaningful work can provide purpose, but it should not become the proof that a person has value.

When identity becomes too tied to leadership, delegation, rest, and stepping back can feel threatening.

Leaders benefit from identities and relationships that extend beyond their professional role.

To lead sustainably, protect the parts of your identity that do not depend on the leadership role.

I recently spoke to a room of about 50 nonprofit leaders when a slide appeared behind me with a phrase I often use: "You matter more than your work."

Someone raised her hand anyway and said, “I don’t believe this.”

I was kind of glad she said it, suspecting she was not the only one in the room who felt that way. Instead of moving on with the presentation, I kept the discussion going.

The room learned that she cared deeply about the organization and the people it served, and said that if she burned out, they would be fine. She would be replaced, and maybe even by someone who could do the job better. That replacement challenged the idea on the screen. If the work could continue without her, perhaps the work mattered more.

When work becomes more than work

Meaningful work can provide an enormous feeling of purpose. But there is a difference between finding meaning in our work and asking our work to tell us whether we matter.

In our recently published research on sustainable nonprofit leadership, my colleagues and I found that mission is a powerful source of energy and commitment for nonprofit executives. At the same time, the literature we reviewed and the experiences of the leaders we studied point to a risk when a leader’s personal identity becomes too closely intertwined with the organization and its mission. The........

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