To: My Friends

Issue: Passion - Don't Try to Lead Without it!

"Frank knows his stuff and all of us like and respect him. We work hard and usually get good results. But there is something missing. He lacks a spark, a passion for what we're doing. As a consequence, so do we. We miss out on the excitement and commitment we need to achieve our full potential as a team."

Passion: If you don't have passion for something, how can you foster it in the people you lead? Passion is an intense, compelling emotional drive, "fire in your belly," for something you believe in. It cannot be feigned or bought. It has to be authentic. It is a quality of the heart that emanates from your values and beliefs. It is the application of your purpose in life to a goal with which you identify strongly. With passion you conquer the obstacles in your path. When you have passion for your pursuit, other people who share your values, beliefs and goals want to join you.

Do you really need passion to be a leader? Yes! Leadership is the art of inspiring and enabling people to perform at their best to achieve a common goal. It is not just a care taking function. It is getting them to buy in to a vision of a better future and leading them on a journey to the goal. I have yet to see a team win the Superbowl or World Series without a passion for the game and their goal. I have not seen a great teacher without a passion for his/her subject and imparting it to students. Passion separates the extraordinary from the ordinary.

Know yourself: Not every leadership opportunity will have what it takes to "switch you on." What can you do if you are being asked to lead, but lack passion? First, clarify your own beliefs and values. What is really important to you? Then examine the leadership challenge and the goal of your opportunity. How can you advance what is important to you if you accept the challenge? What can you add that is unique and that will rally your team to achieve its goal? Look at it positively and thoroughly! Discuss it with a confidant who has no vested interest in your decision. Does your pulse rise? Do you have enthusiasm for the goal and leading people to it? Can you envision the possibilities? How will your life, the business, or society be better off when the goal is accomplished?

"Lead, follow or get out of the way!" Sometimes a leadership opportunity is not for you. I was asked recently to be the president-elect (president the following year) of a non-profit organization. I had been president of it a decade before and had helped infuse new life into it then. After attending a meeting of their board of directors, I realized that what was important to me ten years before no longer fired me up. Been there, done that! As awkward as it was to admit that I had made a mistake, and as much as I hated to let my colleagues down, I reneged. I lacked passion for their challenges, so it was better to bow out and make way for someone who could be "switched-on" to inspire them to surmount their challenges.

Leading people to accomplish a goal down a road with obstacles and detours can be daunting, even with passion. If you lack passion for the goal and journey, don't try!

Sincerely,

Ian Jacobsen CMC, FIMC
Coach to Leaders and Teams