The world is slowly emerging from possibly the worst crisis we have been in, for a very long time.
Business owners, leaders and bosses are bracing themselves for the long slog up the proverbial hill to recovery. But as we get back to work, remember that every business or endeavour needs passionate people who will steer their companies back on track
Employers need passionate people at work, now more so than ever before!
I am a business owner, and I know that only energetic and impassioned team members can guarantee continual performance gains for my companies. I also realise that only impassioned employees have the resilience necessary to withstand the current market challenges, and disruptions.
In reality if you want to get promoted, expect a salary increment or you feel it is your right to get a year-end bonus, but you exhibit very little or no passion for your job, I can assure you that you won't get what you are looking for.
Here's why you should make being passionate at your workplace your top priority in a post-pandemic world.
Passion helps you focus. I remind everyone I work with that "passion" is a state of mind. If you are passionate about your job, you will be interested in the outcomes of your work-product. Consequently, you become more focused. In challenging times, focused employees are coveted.
Creativity unfolds with passion. Working with desire ensures that you have more highs, rather than lows. It increases your engagement levels, which results in you being more creative. This allows you to generate better ideas, and solutions. I certainly will welcome more solution-oriented staff at the moment.
Passion begets excellence. When you do your work with dedication, you will want to win at everything you do. You become deeply interested in excelling at your tasks. And when this happens, you will always be performing at optimal levels. Don't you need high performers in you organisation?
Passion also helps you maintain continuous effort. This increases your ability to contribute, and it intensifies your desire to succeed, therefore you can give total commitment to what you do.
There is no energy generated without passion and excitement. I know that when I wake up in the morning, and I am working on something that I truly like, I get a tremendous surge of energy. There's no secret formula here. You only have energy if you are emotionally engaged with something.
You say you are stressed at work?
It's been scientifically recommended that if you have passion at work, you tend to be less stressed out. Passionate people really like the work that they do. When they encounter problems, they are able to skillfully navigate around them. They do not get bogged down, and don't wallow in self-pity. As a result, they manage stress far better than someone who is dispassionate about their work, and feels like a victim.
Managing heavy workloads become easier when you are fueled by desire and passion. The reality is that most of you will spend the majority of your waking hours at work. Surely, doing something you are passionate about is a prerequisite for making these hours pleasurable? The trick is to do work that doesn't seem like a burden. You will never have the Monday Blues, if you are actually like what you do.
Higher achievers are hugely passionate and often intense.
Ask anyone who has ever achieved anything significant in their career, and they will tell you that they have had to fend off all kinds of problems, and obstacles. If you look back at your achievements in life thus far, I am certain that you will remember moments when you have had to dig deep into the reservoirs of personal resilience to overcome problems. It is your passion that kept you going because it fortifies you against pressure, and fuels achievement.
If you are passionate, you become invested in upskilling. When you are motivated by passion, you will keep learning new things. Your ability to up-skill is predicated on your desire to learn. And being passionate about results helps you understand that you only get paid for your skills and knowledge. This will motivate you to become serious about learning.
The right attitude always ensues when you are enthusiastic and have fervour.
The most successful people I know, care deeply about their work. They have self-imposed benchmarks about what results they need to deliver. This type of passion ensures that your outlook is founded on purpose. And this directly affects your attitude towards everything.
As we mount this gargantuan task to rebuild our economies after almost two years of lockdowns, passion and purpose are the primary drivers that will guide us out of our problems.
If you have this trait as your guiding principle, your personal value grows exponentially.
In difficult times, to continue to be in employment, to ensure that your employers see the value in nurturing you, for your bosses to carry on offering you growth pathways, and present you with opportunities to learn, show passion!
Shankar R. Santhiram is managing consultant and executive leadership coach at EQTD Consulting. He is also the author of the national bestseller "So, You Want To Get Promoted?
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
