Beyond Happiness: Leading with Meaning in Uncertain Times

For years, “happiness” has been a kind of corporate aspiration, promised in mission statements, measured in employee surveys, and reduced to perks. But in Beyond Happiness, Jenn Lim challenges us to look deeper. Not just at what makes us happy, but at how we create meaning, especially when things fall apart.

This book arrived at a moment of collective reset. And rather than offering platitudes, Lim invites us into a more honest, layered understanding of leadership that is grounded in purpose, personal clarity, and the real emotional texture of life and work.

Real Alignment Begins with the Self

Lim’s “greenhouse” metaphor stuck with me. Before we can nurture teams or culture, we need to check the soil we’re growing in: our health, values, and integrity. Her point isn’t that leaders need to be perfect. It’s that we need to be present, reflective, and honest about our own conditions if we hope to support others.

Mapping the Story, Not Just the Strategy

One of the book’s more useful tools is the “Happiness Heartbeats” exercise, a narrative way of charting life’s highs and lows, not just as data points but as meaningful episodes. It resonates with my belief that good design, good leadership, and good research all start by understanding the story beneath the surface.

From Me to We to System

Lim’s framing of leadership as a progression—from ME to WE to WORLD—echoes systems thinking. It is not about scaling up for the sake of reach. It is about ensuring that what is true and valuable at the personal level remains intact as we collaborate, build, and grow.

Less Playbook, More Compass

This is not a book of hacks or tactics. It is more of a compass, full of questions and models that help you reflect on what kind of work and culture you want to shape. For leaders, educators, curators, or anyone designing with people in mind, it is a meaningful read.

In Closing

Beyond Happiness does not ask us to chase positivity. It asks us to root ourselves in purpose, connect with others authentically, and navigate uncertainty with curiosity and care. That feels like a better definition of leadership than any title or KPI.

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