Thursday, May 17, 2012

Now You've Got Something to Die For

I hear the word passion a lot. Leaders are passionate about their ideas and organizations...employees are passionate about their profession...friends are passionate about their hobbies...celebrities are passionate about various causes.

That's a lot of passion.

Does It Matter?
Lately I've been wondering if all of that "passion" is just talk? I don't mean that people don't feel strongly about their various interests, but is there a difference between being so passionate about something, that we're abusing the term and losing the impact of what we're really trying to say?

What do we stand for? Is it that we're committed to a program or charity or our own personal agenda?

"Maybe we aren't quite ready to admit that when we say we're passionate about something, we really mean we're only going to accept our own idea as a solution."

I wonder what our employees think when we're so "passionate" about something and they never get a chance to offer their perspective? I wonder if their ideas are ever better than ours? Hmm.

How About You
What gets you fired up? Is it something you feel so strongly about that everyone on your team must comply? Do you believe they think it's worth "dying" for? Do you?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



photo credit 

6 comments:

  1. Dude - you know I'm all in on this one !! What gets me fired up ?? LIFE !! Every single aspect of it. Not a fake thing with me. I believe that we have the ability to truly be passionate about the work we do in HR, the people we meet and the world we thrive in. Dang it - now you have me geeked even writing this !!

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    1. You are the real deal Steve! Your energy is contagious...your attitude is a great one for us to follow!

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  2. Good points Jay. I hear it often too, hell I say it often but I think passion comes through in your conversations. When I speak to clients about their career goals I can tell when they are passionate about something of its just a buzz word they are using. Passion comes through.

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    1. Thanks Chris. I agree...when you're connecting with someone you can usually tell if they're just using jargon, or if they're really serious about an issue.

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  3. I love this post! For as long as I can remember I have been passionate about teaching, coaching...however you call it. Why? Don't know and don't care...it's always been there for me. Maybe because my parents were teachers? Maybe because my dad was (is) a great role model for me? My first experience was when I was 17 as a student coach at high school. Since then I've always looked for opportunities to teach or coach. I'm confidant that's why I transitioned into human resources...and I love it!

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    1. Thanks for sharing Tim. Good stuff! It's amazing how driven we are once we find our niche.

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