When “How” Isn’t Enough: Moving from Development Culture to Calling

After grad school, and a research thesis on leadership development, I found myself asking a nagging question:

“Why are there so few leaders in churches, nonprofits, and businesses who are making a real, positive dent in the brokenness of the world?”

That question sent me on a journey. Over time, I became convinced there was a missing piece in our development strategies—a piece that could be learned and implemented by leaders to significantly increase the effectiveness of people development.

Make the World More Awesome was born out of that quest: to help leaders multiply their impact in and through the lives of the people around them. The Development Cycle in that book gives simple, practical clarity on the how‑to steps of growth. In a (very) oversimplified statement, I came to believe that the lack of leaders in “positive impact” organizations was often because people didn’t know how to develop leaders, or lacked a system that allowed a small degree of intentionality to produce a big development impact—without consuming all the time and energy needed for the rest of leading.

Eight months after MTWMA was birthed into the world, I’ve watched it generate encouraging impact: from churches and ministries in Pakistan, to the meteorology department of a local news station, to several local ministries and organizations. Watching high‑impact leaders learn the cycle and then add their unique experiences and perspectives to its application has been amazing.

And yet, as much as I hoped that launching MTWMA into the leadership space would, by itself, push back darkness, overcome evil with good, and make the world more awesome, it’s become clear:

There is still work to be done.

MTWMA is a great HOW—how to make a dent, how to make people and situations better. But as Simon Sinek has reminded many of us, great leaders and organizations don’t just start with how; they start with WHY. When we start with why, it provides inspiration instead of manipulation, deepens trust, clarifies decisions, and fuels motivation and fulfillment.

My first book, Make the World More Awesome, was a book about how.

•   How do we build cultures where people actually develop?

•   How do we unlock potential, give better feedback, solve problems, and do big things together?

Along the way, I noticed something. Even in the best development cultures—where people had opportunities, coaching, and tools—some still felt stuck. They weren’t confused about their gifts or their job description. They were confused about something deeper:

Who am I, really?

Why am I here?

What am I actually called to do with my one life?

That’s what this new project is about.

If Make the World More Awesome was my How book, this is my Why project.

It explores the connection between identity, purpose, and calling—and what helps people move from abstract clarity (“I kind of know who I am and what I care about”) to concrete pursuit (“I’m actually living that out in the real world”).

I’m excited about what I’m learning, but this project is more complex than How. I could bring thirty years of training experience into answering the “how” question. The why questions are deeper and more mysterious. I know we’ll never answer all of them—but I’m convinced we can answer some of them, and that those answers will matter.

That’s where you come in.

Will you help me by adding your experience and perspective to this project?
If you’d be willing to give less than 10 minutes to complete a short survey, your story and insight will be part of the research shaping this work.

Because I believe that if we can help people with the big WHYs of life, together we really can make the world more awesome.