Paycheck or Passion?
Is our work about the paycheck or is it more? Paychecks are important. At different points along life’s journey, a paycheck’s value is much more important because it meets a need or want in life. If we don’t pay people well, they have no basic desire or reason to come work with us.
So where does passion come in at work? As leaders is it our responsibility to find it and grow it in our employees? Should we attempt to teach our employees how to be passionate about their job? As humans, are we born with it, or do we learn it? Can passion be a liability in situations when getting the job done is the bottom line? Can we get the job done and have passion?
Some jobs will give you more fulfilment than others, so knowing what ignites that flame inside you and others is significant. Some bosses are more inspiring to work for than others, so we may naturally respond positively or negatively to the work based on who’s leading us.
Following the money and tossing aside growth opportunities will permanently limit your career and your passion. It can take time to grow passion at work. I have found the more a person understands, experiences, and masters their work, they tend to enjoy it more and the results are better.
“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”
~Aristotle
Passion comes from inside a person. Jobs don’t make us passionate, you either bring it, grow it or you don’t. It is a choice. I believe you can bring passion to any job if you figure out why you are really doing it; the purpose of the job; and, how the job gives you a sense of fulfilment. Once you choose to find the passion in your job, you begin looking for the opportunities to grow, learn, develop, and expand it to others.
As a leader, I like working with people who bring passion to the game. A passionate employee understands how important their role is in relation to the direction and purpose of the organization, they are connected. Work can provide so much more than a paycheck if you let it, it can give you a deep sense of belonging, satisfaction, and excitement.
Keep cultivating your passion!
Jeff
