You show up every day and work diligently. You strive to exceed expectations. But are you a passionate leader? Passionate leaders love their work and it shows in their attitudes and actions. How do you recognize and develop your leadership gusto? Passionate leaders:
Sustain commitment. Even when times are tough, passionate leaders continue to enthusiastically engage in the work at hand. They keep their people focused on the right stuff and adjust to changing conditions without compromising their values. Passionate leaders never waver in their optimism and belief in the organization, its goals and its people.
Ignite passion in others. Just being around a passionate leader helps people discover what really makes them tick – their purpose and passion at work. The passionate leader doesn’t just assume that this inspiration will happen on its own; she orchestrates it through getting to know her colleagues and tapping into what really drives them to be their best.
Have a burning desire to make a difference. Passionate leaders have a fervent need to make a difference in the world. They aspire for more than the next promotion or acquisition. Their focus is on the organization, its people and its impact. They have an irrepressible desire to enrich people’s lives and recognize that the best way to make a difference is to continually feed the strengths of the organization’s people.
Roll up their sleeves. Passionate leaders don’t step in to rescue people, only getting into the trenches when they must. They get out of their offices, listen to and talk with others, so they know enough about what’s going on to be the catalyst for others to achieve greatness.
Take care of themselves. Passionate leaders know that a fire can burn bright and then extinguish without attention. They have the stamina to energetically address challenges because they know when to step away and refuel.
W. H. Auden said, “No person can be a great leader unless he takes genuine joy in the success of those under him.” The passionate leader takes joy in many aspects of work – and knows how to both focus and share that enthusiasm for the best results.
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Influence is at the heart of leadership. To be even a modestly successful leader, you must be able to “sell” your ideas and be open to even better ideas that people bring to the table.
When we successfully influence, we build solutions that everyone can live with. These solutions don’t always come easily, and often people involved must change their thinking and behavior. How much change is required? It will depend upon the person. That’s why it’s important to assess the degree and difficulty of the changes up front, and change your methods of communicating accordingly.
Lynn Townsend, one of our creative Humanergists, has been musing about intentionality as one of the cornerstones of what Humanergy helps people develop. By intentionality, we mean acting with purpose and awareness.
Maybe it’s the sour economic climate. Or the seemingly endless cold, snowy weather. Or my mountain of a to-do list. Seems like my life is a little out of control lately. Sometimes I over-react and try to control things that really aren’t mine to fix, just to find some sanity. (Hint: That doesn’t work.)