Last week a local story caught my attention as it exemplified the question often asked about leadership. What is the most important factor that influences good leadership?
A coach from a local high school with an tremendous record was hired by a major university to become an assistant coach. For a high school coach this is like winning the lotto!
He took the job, then a few days later he quit and returned to his former position at the local high school. As he described it “I had to empty my heart to find out what was in it.”
WHAT?!!! That is what a lot of people asked. But, the people asking this question are probably not great leaders. They don’t understand that at the center of every great leader is their passion. And, when that passion is not being filled, they become ineffective and unfulfilled!
In an interview that I saw with the coach he said that “he had found what he loved in coaching high school football. It was mentoring young men into people of good character that know how to work together with others.” He realized that this passion was mentoring boys that were becoming men and would not be fulfilled at the college level. So, he return where he knew his life would have meaning.
I run across this with business owners all the time. Their business is stagnate; their life is out of balance; and their relationships are less than fulfilling. All the time they can figure out why?
I documented the reason in a previous post title Why So Many Business Owners Are Unhappy. What I’ve found is 90% of the time or more it’s because they lost focus on their passion. When they find the passion again it reignites everything in their life.
Use our 7-Day Challenge: Finding your Fire Again to reconnect with your passion. It’s a great exercise to help you refocus on what was important in their life and business and find the spark that drove them in the beginning! Watch the following video for an overview of what you can expect from this powerful challenge:
Building a business requires overcoming obstacles that can seem insurmountable. It is your passion that drives you to fight like a pit bull and overcome. Without passion you get swallowed up just like the average person and as a result never see your dreams become a reality.
Have you found your passion? If so, share your story so that other can see the power of passion!
The coach re-discovered his WHY! Great example.
People tend to think leadership has a silver bullet, but true practitioners and students of leadership understand the layers of effective leadership. While finding ones passion is important, meaningful effective leadership has to match organizational values with the leaders as well as offer an environment where the person can build and develop success. You can have passion but if the organization does not value the person or skills nothing is going to happen.