Question: What caused 101 men, women and children to risk their lives aboard a small ship in 1620 to set sail for a wilderness called America?
Answer: Passion
Passion is an extreme, compelling emotion or love for something or someone. The Pilgrims that sailed from Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620, did so with a shared passion for religious freedom. They wanted to live free from the man-made mandates of the Church of England. After sixty-six days at sea, the Pilgrims achieved their goal, landing on the shores of Massachusetts. Despite many hardships that first year, they gave thanks the following autumn, a day Americans celebrate as Thanksgiving.
Passionate people aren’t normal. When we find our passion, we lose track of time and become absorbed in the task at hand. My customer Charlie Barnes was so passionate about his company’s Activity Based Management findings he got up at 3 a.m. to plot an improvement strategy. The strategy worked, because Barnes Health Care Services’ sales are up, costs are down and productivity has improved over 10%. Passion fills us with energy and excitement, gets us up in the morning, and keeps us awake at night.
True passion produces a result that’s valued by others. National Football League star Pat Tillman’s passion was love of country. Pat gave up a $3.6 million dollar contract with the Phoenix Cardinals to protect America as an elite Army Ranger. Pat died in April 2004 protecting America, fighting the war on terror in Afghanistan. No matter who Time magazine selects, Pat’s my choice for Man of the Year.
We are attracted to people of passion. Passionate people are full of joy and energy. It rubs off on others. I’m blessed to have several passionate friends. For example, I admire Tom Akright’s passion to weave the principles and practices of ABM into the processes of Nestle-Purina. I am awed by my pastor Barry Cameron’s passion for a debt free life. And I have watched my friend John Casey’s passion for connecting people in need to those who can be of help. John is founder of CEO Netweavers (www.ceonetweavers.org), an organization dedicated to helping displaced leaders find new positions to fulfill their passion.
Not everyone wants you to fulfill your passion. Despite numerous attempts by the Hollywood establishment to rob Mel Gibson of his passion, his movie was a huge success in 2004. In Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, we saw the agony and suffering Jesus endured to fulfill His passion to save and serve others.
As Mel Gibson experienced, competition and conflict can actually enhance our passion. Michael Jordan’s passion is basketball. His all-star performance was showcased because he had opponents. Without competition, Jordan’s passion for basketball would not have been as enjoyable for him to play or for us to watch. Passion enables us to achieve things during competition that we never dreamed possible.
Organizations with passionate leaders achieve the impossible. You’ve seen them. They are the men and women who lead organizations that other people want to work for. No one better exemplifies this type of leader than Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airlines. Herb has created a sense of meaning for employees that elicits discretionary effort and a passionate willingness to sacrifice for the greater cause. “After the economic fall-out of 9/11, Southwest Airlines’ employees voluntarily took over the lawn and facility maintenance at corporate headquarters. These employees had a deep sense they were contributing to something larger than themselves — in this case, the survival of their employer (and to many, their ‘family’).” (1) Passionate leaders communicate a clearly defined purpose that transcends merely pushing product out the door.
Conversely, we tend to avoid people and organizations that are indifferent, undecided or uninspired. If you’ve ever attended a dead church or dined with a person who “feels strongly both ways”, you’ve experienced the opposite of passion. Impassionate organizations have no need for an uninspiring CEO. The company will fail on its own without the expense of a highly paid, impassionate executive. For an impassionate organization to have any hope of surviving and thriving, replace the top with a passionate leader. Leaders are the lid of an organization. Employees will never surpass the capabilities of their leader.
Passion transforms feeble people and failing organizations. Do you or your organization have PDD… Passion Deficit Disorder? How and where can you find your passion? I’ve found five sources:
- Trust your heart…“Passion is not a privilege of the fortunate few; it is a right and power you possess.” (2)Author Richard Chang says our heart will reveal what really matters to us and what brings us happiness. During the spring 1997 I had a dream of writing an ABM version of The Goal, Eli Goldratt’s immensely popular book on the theory of constraints. Finding a publisher for The Principles manuscript became a passion that was realized in late 2003. Without passion, I would have given up on my goal. Passion is found in your heart, secondarily your head.
- Find a purpose…Why was has The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren been on the New York Times best seller list for 96 weeks? People are seeking their purpose. Over 15 million readers have learned that passion requires purpose. There’s more to life than market share, making a profit, achieving budget, meeting deadlines and becoming low-cost producer. None of those are a legacy. Fulfilling a purpose with passion results in a legacy. Evangelist Billy Graham found his purpose and passion when he preached his first crusade in Los Angeles. After preaching to an estimated 210 million people the past 55 years, Graham returned to Los Angeles on November 17, 2004 for what may be his last crusade. He knows his purpose. Do you?
- Share a passion… The objective is to find a passion, not necessarily create one. The crew of the USS Benfold found their passion from a new commander. When Captain Michael Abrashoff took command of the USS Benfold in 1997, he found a sullen crew with one of the worst reenlistment rates in the US Navy. The 310 sailors resented being there and could not wait to get out of the Navy. “When I took over the Benfold,” said Captain Abrashoff, “there was no doubt I wanted it to be the best ship in the history of the Navy.” (3)One of the simplest, yet most powerful changes Captain Abrashoff implemented was requiring each sailor to greet visitors by saying, “Welcome to the best darn ship in the Navy.” Do the people in your department or organization lack passion? When you greet people by saying “Welcome to the best darn accounting department in the nation”, a passion to become the greatest takes seed and grows.
- Ask others…Your passion may be unknown to you but obvious to those around you. What would your friends, family or business associates say if you asked, “What’s my passion?” Sometimes others can see what we cannot. Peter Drucker recommends businesses ask the same question of customers. “Talk to one customer every day this week. Ask them how they see your company, what they think of it, what kind of company they believe it is and what they want from it.” (4) In addition to classifying activities as Value or Non-Value Added, label them as Inspiring or Uninspiring. If you’re not inspired by your work… work is a series of activities… it will be very difficult to inspire a customer.
- Recover your passion…For various reasons, people have been known to give up their passion. If something is your passion, never give up. Instead, get up. Star NFL running back Emmitt Smith has fumbled the ball numerous times during his career. Never once did he lay on the playing field for the remainder of a game in despair. No, he always got up, regrouped and got back to winning the game. If you’ve fumbled your passion, recover and regain your dream.
Is passion important? A very successful author says “yes”. It’s been fifteen years since Stephen Covey wrote and we purchased over fifteen million copies of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. While the seven habits remain useful in the 21st century, new challenges … economic upheaval, terrorism, untrustworthy business leaders and misguided personal priorities to name a few … compelled Covey to author The 8th Habit. “The 8th Habit is to Find Your Voice and Inspire Others to Find Theirs.” (5) Covey explains “Passion is the fire, the desire, the strength of conviction and the drive that sustain the discipline to achieve the vision.”
I‘m thankful the Pilgrims had passion. What else could compel 101 people to have the courage to cross the Atlantic Ocean aboard a 90 X 26 foot ship? In addition to being thankful for the Pilgrim’s passion, I’m also thankful this year for the discovery of my new passions, one of which you are reading. What are your passions? Find and share them. Like the Pilgrims, finding and using your passion holds the potential to positively change your world and mine.
[1] Sticking to It: The Art of Adherence, Lee J. Colan, Cornerstone, 2003 [2] The Passion Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide to Discovering, Developing and Living your Passion, Richard Chang, Jossey-Bass, 1999 [3] It’s Your Ship, Captain D. Michael Abrashoff, Warner Books, 2002 [4] The Daily Drucker, Peter Drucker with Joseph Maciariello, Harper Business 2004 [5] The 8th Habit, Stephen R. Covey, Free Press, 2004
