Education and Maturity - Thoughts from Robert Greenleaf (Part 3 of 4)

July was a tough month for me. I lost my mother. I started the month with an all time high - being promoted to the role of Vice Chancellor at the Texas Tech University System. This was a major accomplishment and one I was and am so proud of. But this joy took a sudden turn when I learned my mother was in the hospital. Now, my mom had been dealing with a disease for the past six years that had been slowly impacting her. But she was still able to work and she was doing so at an amazing level. This was different. I asked my dad if I should clear my schedule and go to Fort Worth to be with them, but the answer was the same - no, mom will be good.

A week went by and the conversations shifted. My mom wasn't getting better. I went up there, but couldn't believe anything was really wrong with her. My mom was the same person and she was griping because she was bored and wanted to get back to her nurses - who she loved so much.

After a few days, we were able to get my mom released to home health care. A few days later, she regressed. Even when she was declining, she told me to take a break from caring for her and go be with Lisa and the kids. I didn't have a problem with this because my mom always got better. A few days later, I was back up in Fort Worth and it was not good. I arrived on a Friday night and my mom wasn't responsive. We cared for her the best we could and we made her as comfortable as we could, but around 2:30a on Saturday, July 26, my mom left this earth to be with our Heavenly Father.

Her death was one filled with prayer and peace. It was also a massive perspective changer for me. Before my mom passed, we had all agreed that when that day came, she didn't want any memorial or any fanfare. However, the week before she passed she made a request. She asked that we do a memorial service for her nurses. After she passed, our goal was to make that happen.

On the day of the memorial, we didn't know if anyone would show. We didn't care if no one did - we were going to use that time to remember my mother for who she was. However, before we were able to walk into the funeral home, my dad and I were stopped by people who were arriving for my mom. The majority of my mom's 60+ nurses showed up that day. They travelled from all over the State of Texas to show their respects. Here is the beautiful part - my mom's team was all remote and they had never met in person before. My mom knew exactly what she was doing.

That moment showed me the power of connection and community. One of my favorite pictures is of the team photo they took - making my dad stand in the middle holding my mother's picture.

So, what does this have to do with Greenleaf's writing on Education and Maturity? Well, a lot actually. Specifically, this post is linked to issue three that Greenleaf mentions:

The third issue that needs to be dealt with, if the drawing forth of what is uniquely each one of us is to proceed, is the struggle for significance - the complications of status, property, achievement.

What does it mean to live a life of significance? The answer to this question has taken several meanings for me over the years as I navigated growing up and experiencing several different professional industries. But my mom's funeral changed something in me. What am I doing to live a life of significance? Does my role make my life significant? Honestly, I have operated with the belief that yes, work did determine whether or not I would be significant. However, Greenleaf shares some insights I feel we need to consider when he says,

"Most modern institutions are also concerned that the people who do the work find personal significance in their work. But this is a qualified obligation and one must not expect that any work will automatically provide the feeling of significance. A requirement of maturity is that one learns to find their own significance" (p. 7).

One of the asks my mom's employer had was that we bring back her computer and other work-related items. While appropriate, it drove home the realization that I had to face. Even though I lost my mother and her employer lost a great leader, we had to move forward. From a business perspective, they were now tasked with posting her role and finding someone else to do the work. It wasn't personal - but it did remind me that organizations exist to do a job and people are the ones that do the job. So, when one no longer remains, they find another to do the work and the cycle continues.

Again, there is nothing wrong with this. It's reality. But it made me stop and think. Greenleaf tells us, "Dignity, significance, character are wholly the attributes of individual people. They have nothing to do with anything external to the person" (p. 10).

This is a reality we have to accept. I feel we need to start looking inward to better understand what gives each of us significance. While my work does not make me significant, I am thankful I get to do what I do because I love the people I work with. That's the thing - it's about connection and community. If I were asked to leave my role tomorrow, I would be disappointed, of course, but that would not make me any less significant.

What makes me significant? Today, it's the opportunities I have to pour into leaders across the Texas Tech University System and beyond. For some, I am a listening ear so they can vent. For others, I serve as an advisor to support their growth in the ever-changing environment within which they live and work. It's about the people for me. The fact that I have the opportunity to be in the room with so many others and that I get to be the person who serves them through leader and culture development is what fuels my flame. However, life and opportunities will change. I take comfort in knowing that as long as I have the ability to serve others through supporting their growth, I will be satisfied.

Now - it's your turn. What makes you significant? What impact do you hope to make in the world? What do you want people saying about you 20 years from now?

Whatever it is, I am here. I am here to be that listening ear and I am here to pour into you to help you succeed in whatever stage of life you are in.

I miss my mother. But she taught me lessons up until the very end. I personally feel responsible to continue her legacy of love for others.

Vick Lynn Weber, September 25, 1957 - July 26, 2025

Regards,

Jason R. Weber, Ed.D.