For greater success, get passionate about your work, your world
Let’s say you’re a calm, laid-back person. You deal with the world from a take-it-as-it-comes point of view. And it has always worked for you.
But didn’t you ever envy people who seemed to be on fire, enthusiastic and passionate about their work, their pro football team, and their home life?
There’s no question that you can’t change the color of your eyes and other in-born traits. The height of your fire is something else.
In The Welch Way, Jack and Suzy Welch say there’s no question about it. You can stoke up your fire, uncork your passion and get hot! When you do, you can turn clock-watching workers into fired-up people as well.
It’s every leader’s job to make purpose come alive and to turn cynicism into engagement, say the Welches.
Sometimes it takes an event to do it. They tell of a break-even unit of a big manufacturer. The unit had little growth and its people had little motivation. They just plugged along with the work.
When the unit was sold, everything changed. A few slackers were let go, but through great attention to individuals and promises of better things to come, work became fun for those who stayed.
Fortunately, you probably won’t have the buyout situation to contend with but the new owner’s techniques could work for you too. By focusing on individuals, what they are doing and what they could become, you could replace cynicism with excitement.
When you get passionate about what your people are doing, true engagement will be your reward. And theirs.