Your peoples’ passion will be unleashed if they see how the organisation’s concerns are the same as their own personal concerns.
Every individual has a few fundamental concerns that drive them throughout their lives. They will be different for everybody. Examples could be love and family, making a difference, self-expression or contribution to others.
Whenever I am blocked and resist something I should do, it is because I cannot link this activity with my fundamental concerns. When I resist spending time on personal finance and label it a “chore”, it is because I have temporarily lost the connection between doing this and looking after my family. With the link clear, I can do exactly the same activity with a real feeling of achievement and choice.
The same is true for people at work. Have you at any point in your life ever experienced the difference between working for a salary and working to further one of your fundamental concerns? What did it feel like? That was when words like “work” and “employee” ceased to have meaning, and your passion was engaged. Imagine the strength of an organisation that taps into that passion for all its people on a regular basis.
Unrealistic? What it takes is the commitment to find the right place for everyone. Salespeople with a fundamental concern with accomplishment. Service staff with a fundamental desire to help others. Accountants who live for the perfect moment when the numbers balance. Leaders who personally share the vision of the organisation. And every day, they will love what they do.
