When I started working, fresh out of business school and French military service, I set my mind on what would bring me success.
I thought that passion was the engine of everything: it would help me challenge the status quo, enable outstanding performance, and reach that incredible fulfillment.
I wasn’t alone.
We’ve all seen a flurry of articles and books chanting the merits of passion and inviting us never to settle, follow our hearts, and find our purpose.
I don’t deny that passion can be a driving force behind success.
When I’ve been fortunate enough to feel passionate about my job – it didn’t happen all the time – it gave me massive energy and enthusiasm. It helped me stay motivated, resilient in the most challenging times and focused on my goals.
Passion also helped me seek ways to expand my knowledge and acquire new skills on the matters at hand. I became a more creative thinker, exploring new ideas and crafting innovative solutions.
So, for years, I naturally thought that following my passion would lead me to happiness and fulfillment.
And here came a monstrous problem: when passion wasn’t there, I’d try to pursue it at any cost. But it only kept bringing me doubt and anxiety. I questioned how to find work I’d love, whether I would love it, and what would happen if I’d never found my passion.
I gradually realized that this revered passion wasn’t the root of success or a sense of fulfillment. It was more of a side effect and catalyst.
Hard work, discipline, skills, and opportunities – or sheer luck – originated my most successful endeavors.
The challenge was then for my team and I to nurture these success enablers while allowing a more natural development for passion.
Here’s how we approached it with my most successful teams:
#1 – We embraced a craftsperson mindset and focused on the value we could produce in our jobs rather than what our jobs offered us. In other words, we sought clarity on our mission in the organization. We focused on becoming world-class performers in what we had to do.
#2 – We also learned patience, recognizing that both improvement and skill development require time and perseverance. All these minor daily improvements mattered and allowed us to persist even in the most challenging times.
#3 – Lastly, we acknowledged the importance of constructive criticism as an excellence booster. We could proactively identify flaws and make better decisions by creating an environment where we’d all be open to alternative viewpoints and actively seeking feedback. Criticism became an opportunity for growth and continuous learning.
By adopting that craftsperson mindset, being patient with the process, and embracing criticism, we stood a better chance to develop a genuine love for our work.
When it worked well, the passion came naturally as a side effect and a catalyst.
So, if you’re struggling with loving your job, stop seeking elusive passion at all costs. Instead, turn your team and yourself into patient and open-minded craftspersons.
Good luck!