The Passion to Thrive
November 2nd, 2009 Posted in Leadership, Newsletter
The strongest may survive but it is the passionate that will thrive.
Whether I’m speaking to an NFL team, school principals, or leaders of world class organizations such as Pepperidge Farm, Citizens Bank, and Northwestern Mutual my message is the same:
If you want to be successful today you must load your “Energy Bus” with passionate people…. and most of all you must be passionate yourself.
In the past you could be lukewarm and mediocre and still be successful.
Not anymore.
Now, in today’s competitive environment, your passion and your purpose must be greater than your challenges.
You have to be willing to work harder, run faster, drive further, study more, practice longer, lead better, sweat more, love deeper and this requires passion.
Passion wakes you up 30 minutes earlier. It dials your phone one more time to make one more sale. It rallies your team together when times are tough. It moves you to see one more patient after a long day at the hospital. It inspires you to help a struggling student. It provides legendary customer service. Passion transforms workplaces, powers champions and fuels winning teams.
But what about someone who has a low paying job or who is in a job that quite frankly is hard to be passionate about you might ask? I get this question often and my answer is: It’s not the job or the money you are being paid but the passion that you bring to your job that matters. After all, I’ve met bus drivers who are more passionate about their jobs than professional athletes making millions of dollars.
Sure, I realize that not everyone is going to be passionate about their daily responsibilities associated with their job, however, in these cases you can be passionate about the organization you work for. You can be passionate about your team members and helping your team improve, grow and succeed. You can be passionate about your mission and customers. You can be passionate about making a difference.
Leaders, you must also foster this passion in your organization and make passion an essential element of your culture. Stop sucking the life out of your employees and wonder why they aren’t delivering the results you want. Instead create a team that is passionate about their mission, driven with purpose and energized by working together. Inspire your team with passion and they will drive The Energy Bus for you.
If your people aren’t passionate about the work they do and the people they work with, and if they aren’t passionate about your brand and mission, then you need to let them off the bus so they can find another bus where they can live their passion.
This is good for them and it’s good for your team.
By letting disengaged employees off the bus you make room for those who are passionate about your team and organization—and with a bus filled with passionate people you will thrive while others merely try to survive.
Are you living and working with your passion? How can you start today? Join the conversation on our blog.
- Jon
Tags: business, improve, jon gordon, money, organization, passion, passionate, succeed, The Energy Bus, Work
11 Responses to “The Passion to Thrive”
By Corinne McElroy on Nov 2, 2009
Hi Jon,
Love the article.. In a company I used to work with, Rapport Leadership Int., We called this “Freeing people up for their future”.
Love your books
Corinne McElroy
By karen on Nov 2, 2009
I try to work with passion each and every day. What I’m constantly looking out for are people who would like to zap that passion away from you. I know what you’re thinking, no body can zap your passion, but they can. When the culture of your organization is filled with isolation and competition, being passionate is sometimes hard to be. So everyday you must remind yourself of what you need to accomplish and surround yourself with others with the same attitude and don’t let the naysayers get in the way.
By Bob McIntyre on Nov 2, 2009
Jon - As always, you’re 100% on the mark. I My parents always told the kids in our family to, “Be the best at whatever we chose to be”. Even if you’re a garbage man, be the best one. I always translated that as have a passion for what you’re being paid to do. Where I’ve failed myself in the passion department, is when I lost my passion for a company, and was unable to repair or regain it. At that point, I would have been far better off realizing I was on the wrong energy bus, and getting off at the first available stop. If you can’t tap the driver on the shoulder and suggest a route where you like the scenery better, it’s time to get off the bus.
By Michele on Nov 2, 2009
Hi Jon,
Love the piece today, thank you.
A year ago I left a six figure job with a top firm because I couldn’t find enough joy in my work or in their corporate culture. I needed to honor my creative side.
Now I’m a start up business with a mission to inspire others. Working like a crazy woman and loving every moment, albeit a challenge.
Work will always be full of challenges, therefore we must have passion for what we do!
To your success,
Michele Abrams
CEO, Chief Eternal Optimist
InspireNotes
By Vivien Hearld on Nov 2, 2009
I have found that passion is proportional to a successful balance in life, setting my spiritual goals first and how much rest I get. Who was it that said “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”? I have trouble keeping all the plates spinning at one time, but I know that planning makes conquerors of us all.
By Elad Sherf on Nov 2, 2009
Hey Jon,
Love your Blog and this post.
I almost felt like I was reading a similar passage from the chapter about passion in my e-book (http://comparativeadvantage.wordpress.com/playing-it/).
So many people go through the motions of their daily lives without finding something that they are truly passionate about. It is just sad. Not only do they lose by living like that, all of us are losing but not getting the most out of these people. The world certainly needs a big dose of passion to enjoy life, work and humanity.
Elad
By Bob McIntyre on Nov 2, 2009
Michele - I love the CEO - Chief Eternal Optimist. It’s great to work in an environment where you don’t have to go around the room checking for pulses.
By Rob on Nov 2, 2009
wow, this is amazing!
but what i wonder is: how do i connect to that passion regularly? where is it? and how do i access it?
i know what i care about, how i want to make a difference in the world. I know what gets me ready to just get up and go. but sometimes i am just not connected to it. life just gets in the way. what tips and techniques do you have for strongly connecting to your passion often and quickly?
By Carol on Nov 3, 2009
Jon,
So so true!!!! I am fortunate to have two businesses that I am passionate about. However, a wonderful reminder to keep it going and pass it on to my team members daily!!! Thank you
By hash on Nov 4, 2009
Dear John,
You have rightly said that those who are not as passionate as we are about our job ,they should be stepped out of the bus…otherwise they will never support you to go for your passion and in long run we will be derailed…
well,although we have 1 person from the group of 50 people who really supports our passion should be on board….quantity doesn’t matter but quality do……