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Passion

This is the second of our 3-part series titled, "The three P’s for building success: Purpose, Passion and People."

Last month we covered Purpose, now let us discuss Passion.

Passion is about having strong feelings. The Greek meaning for the word is Emotion. Emotions are the indispensable fuel that propels us to greatness. Everything important that happens to us arouses emotions.

So many people believe that emotions have no place in the workplace. That emotions and business do not mix. This archaic way of thinking is detrimental to the life force of the organization as well as the people that make up the organization. When many people think of emotions they think of somebody sitting around crying, that is not what I am talking about. We ask leaders and managers from all over the world what they consider to be the greatest leadership qualities, here are some of the one-word responses: Enthusiastic, inspirational, empathic, caring, passionate, charismatic, compassionate, exciting... These are emotional words!

While excessive emotions can temporarily disrupt reasoning or analysis, new studies suggest that, in most cases, too little emotion can be even more devastating to a career or organization. According to Josh Hammond, president of the American Quality Foundation, emotions have a high-performance definition which is present at the heart of every leading enterprise but is little recognized or valued in most of today’s other organizations...yet!

The greatest asset of any company is the hearts and minds of its people.

Emotions come from the heart. Scientists can measure the hearts energy from 5 feet away. It activates our deepest values, it radiates. It knows things our mind does not, and cannot. The heart is the place of courage, spirit, integrity, commitment, compassion, empathy, understanding, caring and most of the other great leadership characteristics. It is a source of energy that calls us to learn, cooperate, lead and serve. Peter Senge, author of the Fifth discipline and Director of Organizational learning at MIT stated it best when he said: “People with high levels of personal mastery...cannot afford to choose between reason and intuition, or the head and the heart, any more than they would choose to walk on one leg or see with one eye.”

All successful companies and individuals have a mission statement; they know their purpose.

We have all heard how important it is to have a mission statement. All successful companies and individuals have a mission statement; they know their purpose. One of the main reasons the mission statement is so powerful is because it gets people emotionally involved with what they do! When people in your organization are emotionally involved with what they do they become passionate and excited. When they become excited about what they are doing, when they are passionate about their purpose, they become committed to the companies cause.

There is a new term in the study of leadership called Emotional Intelligence. In his book, Executive EQ: Emotional Intelligence in Leadership & Organizations, Dr. Robert Cooper defines Emotional Intelligence as the ability to sense, understand, and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions as a source of human energy, information, connection and influence. It is not enough to have feelings. Emotional Intelligence requires that we learn to acknowledge and value these feelings- in ourselves and others- and that we appropriately respond to them, effectively applying the information and energy in our daily life and work.

Emotional Intelligence emerges not from the musings of rarified intellect, but from the workings of the human heart. It is Emotional Intelligence that motivates us to pursue our unique potential and purpose, and activates our innermost values and aspirations, transforming them from things we think about to what we live. Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, is a better barometer for success among 4th grade children than is IQ.

If you had a word processor would you have your employees use a typewriter to do letters and memos? If you had a power drill would you have your employees use a hand drill? If you had two phone lines to do business would you only use one? If Steve Young was your quarterback and you were in the Super Bowl would you sit him on the bench and use a rookie? If the answer to these questions is no, then why would you not inspire and encourage your team to use the power of their emotions in accomplishing their purpose.

Being a leader is about being a role model. You cannot expect your team members to be excited and emotionally involved with your mission and purpose if you, the leader, are not.

Leadership is action, not position. Being a leader is about being a role model. You cannot expect your team members to be excited and emotionally involved with your mission and purpose if you, the leader, are not. Enthusiasm and Passion are contagious. When you are enthusiastic and passionate about what you are doing, people around you become enthusiastic and passionate about what they are doing with you.

Passion is one of the greatest qualities a leader can have. People want to be around passionate people; they are looking for passion in their lives. We all have internal flames of passion burning within. Sometimes we let circumstances or situations douse that flame. To re-ignite that flame or to make it burn brighter ask yourself these questions. In what ways do I make a difference? Why am I here? In what activities do I feel most fulfilled? What is my unique purpose in life? As you answer these questions dig down deep and feel the flames getting hotter.

In closing, remember that people want to be a part of something bigger than they are. People want to feel that they are important, that they are needed. When you can help them get emotionally involved with what they do, then you have served your team well. To quote Clarence Francis

You can buy a person’s time; you can buy his/her physical presence at a given place; you can even buy a measured number of skilled muscular motions per hour. But you cannot buy enthusiasm...you cannot buy loyalty. You cannot buy the devotion of hearts, minds or souls. You must earn these.

I remain...

Enthusiastically yours,

Scott V. Black
The Empower U Leadership Team
November 1998

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