I AM just about to open a new restaurant in Penang. It is an extension of my existing place in Kuala Lumpur. I am really very excited and I am looking forward to the new adventure.
As I begin, I am also acutely aware that my team will play a pivotal role in the success of my business. And their effectiveness, without a doubt, is firmly grounded in their passion for working in the food and beverage sector. Passion is the most desirable trait that will make anyone invaluable to the organisation they work in.
My job as the business owner is to ensure that my team remains energetic and impassioned in doing the job, because this is the only thing that guarantees continued high performance for the company. I know that I need employees who are resilient and have the necessary emotional wherewithal to withstand teething problems, market challenges, confusing beginnings and potential disruptions.
Therefore, as I begin this new business, I am spending an enormous amount of time and energy infusing passion into my team, because passion drives people, and people drive businesses. Remember, that for you to be successful in your career, you must have hunger, desire and passion.
This is what being passionate does for your work-life:
IT drives energy. I remind everyone with whom I work that being "passionate" about something is a state of mind. If you are passionate about your job, you will be interested in the outcomes of your work-product. Accordingly, you become more keyed up. This helps you function effectively, even during turbulent times.
YOU will want excellence for yourself. If you do your work with passion, you will want to win. You become invested in shining at your tasks, and this optimises your performance.
IT helps you contribute effectively. Only your passion and hunger for something helps you maintain constant effort. This makes you a high contributor to your team. Your overwhelming desire to succeed will give you the willingness to give total commitment to what you do.
YOU will be energised. A few days ago, seeing my busy schedule, someone asked me how I find the energy to do things. I explained to them that when I am passionate and dedicated to a goal, the energy simply materialises. I assure you there is no secret formula and there are no supplements you need to consume. When you are emotionally engaged with what you do, you find the vigour and energy.
IT trains creativity. Working with passion ensures that you have more highs rather than lows. It increases your engagement levels, which result in you being more creative. This allows you to generate better ideas and solutions. People who worry constantly hardly provide solutions.
YOU will manage stress better. If you work with passion, the stress will level itself out nicely. I find that passionate people tend to enjoy the work. If they encounter problems, they are able to cleverly navigate around them. Passion helps you to not get bogged down, and not wallow in self-pity. As a result, passionate people manage stress far better than someone who is dispassionate about their work and feels like a victim.
YOUR workload becomes better. People spend the majority of their waking hours at work, yet many do not realise that being passionate is a criterion for making these work hours pleasurable. If you see your work as a "joy" instead of a "burden", surely life becomes better. Cultivating this attitude will help with managing your workload.
IT helps you to upskill. You will only keep learning new things when you are passionate. This ability to upskill is predicated on your desire to learn. When you are passionate about your results, it motivates you for continuous learning.
YOU become achievement-oriented. If you examine the life of anyone who has ever achieved anything significant, it will show that they had to deal with numerous problems and difficulties. In spite of their obstacles, they kept rising, and tapped into their personal resilience to overcome all complications. It is passion that would have driven their achievements. It fortifies you against all the odds.
AND finally, passion sets the tone for the right attitude. Successful people 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. It affects your attitude towards everything.
As an employer, these are the traits I look for and cultivate in my team. I know that organisational success only comes when I am surrounded and held up by people who are passionate. My experience also teaches me that I must focus on nurturing and offering pathways to employees who exhibit hunger, desire and passion.
Are you passionate about your work?
The writer 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?'
