Passion is power. To be passionate is to be powerful. To be passion-less is to be powerless. Passion is often the difference between the haves and the have-nots. It is often the difference between those who can and those who cant. It is often the difference between those who fail and those who succeed. All these can only happen when, and only when, your job becomes more than just a job. When it becomes a cause. When it ceases from being a head thing to a becoming a heart thing. One of my litmus tests at companies where I speak is what I term The passion for the Mission test. Where I try to get a sense of the amount of feeling the people have for the companys purpose, regardless of how highly placed on the ladder they might be or how heavily competent by way of skills. And I find again and again that a great majority of people have little or no feeling of excitement for their corporations and what they are about. They often recall, mentally their mission statements but not with the emotional backing. They are empowered but not empassioned. A typical case of all head with no heart. I am not saying head is not important. It is. But understand that there was never a great mind that never was also passionate. All thinkers of renown employed their hearts energies in the pursuit of their missions. They were literally obsessed with their ideas that came from their heads. Take the Wright brothers who conceived the idea of flight. History has it that they became literally obsessed by that idea so much so that they could barely wait to get up the next morning. In the end, they made us fly. Showing us that when passionate hearts commit to a shared vision, they can accomplish the impossible. The shared vision is never a problem, that, expectedly, is a given. The real question is; do you have enough passionate hearts in your company working toward the shared vision? If your answer is no, then it is no surprise you are not doing the impossible yet. But all that can change personally and corporately, when we commit to moving from being empowered to becoming impassioned. As we evaluate, here are a few things to focus upon: 1. On a personal level, ask yourself; Am I as passionate as I should about my work and the organization where I function? If the answer is no, then it is either time to get out of that kitchen to something or someplace else whose heat you can stand. Or take the time to reflect on where you might have missed the boat, then reach deep inside yourself to rediscover the passion you once felt for your work. Lets not make it any more complex by trying to rationalize this, that and the other. The fact is you either dont love what you do presently or have become lukewarm. 2. At the organizational level, there is need for People Managers and Overseers to do a Heart Count from time to time. You may have a thousand heads working at your company but only a few passionate hearts. Those are your star performers. You must nurture them and continue to inspire them to keep the flame alive. Then you must go one better by having a strategy of encouraging others to discover the passionate perspective of what they do at work. Because passion is an inside job. People must come to grips with it on their own. They may be encouraged though. But it remains a journey they must personally embark upon till they come to realize that they have more than just a job - they actually have a cause. This is the key to Organizational Enthusiasm Then, also be on the look out for deadwoods or round pegs in square holes. People whose assignments do not fit them as a glove fits the hand. And have the courage to do something about that. And when next you go fishing for men, be like Jesus Christ, who added the passion factor, to his checklists of what to look out for in his potential employees. Who says ancient wisdom doesnt work? Remember, Passion is Power. You and your company need all the power to achieve the impossible especially in these challenging and ever-changing business times. |
