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Leadership Truth #3 - Great Leaders are Passionate

Guest post by: Robert Whipple

Article Overview: Not only are great leaders passionate people, but they have an uncanny ability to infect others with their passion. That is how the gusto in their soul gets translated to the rank and file. Let's explore how this is done.

Leadership Truth #3 - Great Leaders are Passionate

The passion of leaders is all about caring so deeply that they can hardly contain their enthusiasm. These people add zest to their organization simply through the power of their own fervor. If someone you respect is incredibly excited about an activity or opportunity, it is hard to not be turned on yourself. Of course, the passion has to be real. There is nothing as pitiful or debilitating as feigned enthusiasm. If you doubt that, just listen carefully to some infomercials. When you have low enthusiasm for something, it is better to admit it than to pretend to get all pumped up because people will instinctively see through any attempt to fool them. That is why I never start a speech with "I am thrilled to be here" unless I really am. Think about it; how many times have you sat at an event and had a speaker try to act excited? It just does not translate well into people's brains, and thus it ends up reducing credibility of the speaker from the very first sentence.

Leaders with low passion seem to slug through the daily routine, grumbling about the current atrocities or distractions. Their unhappiness stems from a sense of worthlessness or hopelessness. They are working with maximum energy, but habitually reside on the edge of burnout. There is no spark of enthusiasm to do things because they want to do them. Rather they do things as needed because they are forced to endure them. They are like sailors who find themselves luffing and not making any forward progress.

Being passionate and enthusiastic is a necessary, but insufficient condition of great leadership. We all know people who bubble over with enthusiasm but are unable to rub the pixie-dust onto others. People in the organization roll their eyes as the leader goes off on another tangent with great zeal. He is half way around the first buoy, and the rest of the boats are at the starting line wondering if the race is worth sailing. We typically call these leaders "dreamers." They have great ideas, but little skill at executing them. To really excite people, outstanding leaders engage them in the process early, so they have a stake in the outcome. As the leader's enthusiasm builds, it naturally kindles the spirit of others in the organization, because the effort was jointly developed. This gets all the sailors in the same boat working for a common cause.

To infect others with your enthusiasm takes a combination of displayed values and worthiness. In his book The Speed of Trust, Stephen M.R. Covey identified character and competence as the essential ingredients for the enthusiasm of a leader to transfer into people's hearts. According to Covey, character stems from the intent to do well and the integrity to do the right things at all times. Competence is derived from the capabilities that inspire confidence and a track record of results that lets people know you are the real thing. Downwind leaders display generous portions of both character and competence on a daily basis. That is why people believe in them.

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Article Tags: Leadership, Passion, Trust, Values, Vision



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