Passion breeds passion

Passion

This past week, I had this remarkable opportunity to speak to some inspiring people at the CARE (California Association of Renaissance Educators) conference. I spoke to hundreds (maybe thousands) of attendees but I also did a lot of listening. Importantly, I found that the best speakers were the best listeners. For me, it wasn’t so much their back stories but their abilities to connect to other people through their empathy and relatability.

My observations also reinforced what I believe to be a key component to anyone’s ability to lead and succeed: passion. Can you teach it? I believe you can inspire it, you can feel it from other human beings, and you can pass it but you cannot learn it from a textbook.

Passion is infectious and passes through your body- it gets you to commit, work hard, be successful, and have fun. You surpass other areas of your life and repertoire to have positive outcomes in your passionate areas.  

You can tell by the way people talk where their passions are. I am passionate about inspiring people and igniting their capabilities. It’s catchy, and it creates synergy. You want everyone around you to succeed. You make sacrifices that are ultimately for the good of your family, the good of the kids, and the good of your colleagues but you need to follow your passion for truly fulfilling your life. Positive climate and culture further the ability for you and the people around you to satisfy their appetites.

When I have the opportunity to interview people for key positions, the number one quality I always look for is passion. Of course competency in other areas is important. But if candidates are close in other areas, passion rises as being the number one attribute in the success of the individual thereby breeding success for your team. As I followed the careers of the passionate people we hired, they have always been the most successful and the best fit for our culture and subcultures.

Create a culture of passion and you’ll discover a “place where everyone wants to be.”

Coming soon: the “WOW! Factor” and the magical “Ta-Da” moment.