Throughout my adult life, I had a passionate dislike for the gym. You could put me on a road and make me run for 4 hours, but I always hated lifting weights. Until 2 years ago, when I joined a gym to improve my running, and met a trainer named Petter. He was by far the most enthusiastic, positive trainer I had ever met. He absolutely LOVED his work and went out of his way to help you learn about your body, give you advice, and even research information that may have been helpful to your training goals.
From his smiling eyes and vibrant energy, it was absolutely clear that Petter enjoyed everything about his job. As a result, I always looked forward to the gym and would even go so far as saying I became obsessed with it. Reflecting on why he had this impact on me, I realised that Petter often used the word “Passion” to describe his interest in physiology, biomechanics and exercise. And this made me listen and become interested too.
Have you ever noticed that even by introducing the word ‘Passion’ into a conversation, there is a complete shift in the energy in the conversation and the level of engagement increases? That’s because humans are naturally disposed to connect as human beings through our passions. Somehow we are attracted to the energy and authenticity that passions evoke. You only have to watch a mother talking about her children or listen to someone who loves music talk about their favourite band. And if you’re like me, you can talk about running for hours, with people who don’t even like running. The word passion itself has energy! And when you experience or witness another’s passion, it can be a magical feeling that encourages you to connect with them.
Sadly, for many in the workplace, we somehow lose sight of what inspires us over time. We compromise our passion to get the job done. Sometimes it's caused by unbridled change and growth. We begin to multi-task, spending less time on tasks that excite us. Or, in order to deal with growth or change, we are shifted into a role that doesn't connect with us. Sometimes it’s fierce competition or staff shortages that force a team to do more with less. Passion is always the first thing to suffer in these situations.
We know that passion has many benefits in the workplace. These include:
- Providing your team with direction and focus;
- Creating and energy or buzz in the workplace;
- Inspires creative thinking and innovation;
- Heightens team performance and increases loyalty to the business;
- Unites teams and attracts high performing, passionate people;
- Allows people to put more energy into the business; and
- Connects your clients to the business or organsiation (Just like with my experience with Petter and the gym).
All of these benefits are certainly the characteristics you want in a team that is going to embark on change and disruption. A happy, passionate team is a team that has focus and energy. When you do the work that energises you, you have more energy to put into doing that work on a more sustainable basis. When work is not tapping into that passionate energy, your team goes home feeling tired and drained. At some point in that situation, their work is bound to suffer.
The benefits are clear, so why don’t more organisations harness passion as change management tool?
Often it is because it is not part of a larger framework within an organisation. Sometimes strategies (and change strategies) fail to connect with the “Why” of what the organisation does (See “Simon Sinek- Start with the Why” for more about this). Sometimes, leadership feels it and fails to understand how to communicate it. Sometimes employees sense it, but are uncertain or afraid or confused as to how to act on it.
Here are some tools and tips to help you start thinking about this within yourself and in your workplace:
Define what passion means to you and your team. Passion encompasses your truest wants and desires. What makes you all tick? What gives you energy and wakes your spirit up?
Ask your team about what engages them at work. What makes them feel proud?
Keep overall enthusiasm and energy high in the work environment. You need this energy to fuel passion. Smile, laugh, and engage in fun activities to keep energy levels high. Everyday our body language comes through loud and clear. Is yours the inspiration that fuels confidence and energy in others or is it tired or just uptight?
Share your passions. Simply share a passion with someone at work. If you’re up for a real challenge, try telling someone you may not even know well at all! Passion ripples outward. Just talking about your passions could inspire others to do the same.
Ask about other’s passions. You never know what you’ll learn about yourself when you ask someone else what they care about. Discussing your passions can strengthen your interpersonal relationships and thereby allow you to develop passions and interests outside of your comfort zone. So ask a colleague what they are passionate about! Passionate energy can be contagious.
A little bit of passion is never a bad thing during challenging times and disruptive change. It forms part of the overall wellness of your team and can increase engagement in projects. Find the things you and your team are passionate about and utilise that natural strength to motivate you. Better yet, find out how to connect the purpose of your business to the passions of your team.