Every organization has the potential for world-changing impact.
If you’re interested in joining the ranks of those who have achieved such significant market influence, you’ll need an ambitious goal that transcends the bottom line, and your leaders must foster passion for that goal, and keep that passion alive by reinforcing it every single day.
Simply defining a noble goal or purpose isn’t enough – you’ll also need the best and brightest talent to bring your goals to life.
Passion is key
Talent of this caliber wants to be passionate about what they do, and they want to be surrounded by other employees who are also passionate about what they do.
A passionate, engaged employee is someone who pays attention to the company’s strategies and tactics; who’s involved and curious and who constantly questions what the company is doing and how their own role is contributing to the organization’s success. And they do this not because someone ordered them to, but because they want to.
Engaged employees will choose to work with you because they want to feel like they’re changing the world for the better. If the workforce believes in and is passionate about your corporate purpose, has the tools they need to do their work well, and is engaged in what you’re collecting trying to accomplish, then they’ll most likely deliver stellar results.
Fueling great performance
Here are five ways to foster the kind of passion that fuels great performance and awesome results, adapted from The Open Organization: Igniting Passion and Performance by Jim Whitehurst.
1. Let people show their emotions
We often use the term ‘emotional’ as if it’s a bad word, especially when it comes to the workplace. But inspiration, enthusiasm, motivation, and excitement are emotions too. If you ask your team to check their emotions (both the good and the bad) at the door, you can’t tap into their passion.
2. Hire passionate people
One way to get passionate people into your organization is to rely on those who already work there to refer people they want to work with. Create a flexible incentive program that rewards employees for bringing in candidates who are a perfect fit for your company culture.
3. Fan the flames
Find ways to share and celebrate the passion of your team. Augment your company newsletter by shooting videos of your staff in action or find opportunities to throw culture-inspired parties to celebrate your joint accomplishments.
4. Don’t sedate your rock stars
Give your employees the autonomy to do the work that interests them. Then watch what happens when they put their energy and talent fully into their role.
5. Share context
Most companies have a stated corporate purpose or mission statement. Unfortunately, these are rarely-used words that do little to drive purpose or passion within the company. Leaders’ jobs are to create context by connecting employees’ job functions to the organization’s broader mission – why you do what you do. When you can make the connection between passion and mission, you can truly propel your organization to a new level of performance.
This post originally appeared in a somewhat different form on OCTanner.com.