Three Minute Leadership: Living with Passion and Purpose

To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning

An inspiring quote from an unknown author tells great leaders, “Purpose is the reason for your journey. Passion is the fire that lights the way.” In their book, The Power of Moments, Chip Heath and Dan Heath share the research of Morten Hansen in his recent book, Great at Work: How Top Performers Work Less and Accomplish More. They write that Morten distinguished between purpose and passion: “Purpose is defined as the sense that you are contributing to others, that your work has broader meaning. Passion is the feeling of excitement or enthusiasm you have about your work.” Morten wanted to know which contributed to greater job performance.

Morten grouped people into categories, e.g., people who were low and high on purpose, and people who were low and high on passion, and asked managers to rank their performance. Attached are his findings.

The authors write about this work: “The outcome is clear. Purpose trumps over passion…. Passion is individualistic. It can energize us but also isolate us because my passion isn’t yours. By contrast, purpose is something that people can share. It can knit groups together.” Purpose is the beautiful “why” that inspires and provides direction to the lives of great leaders. Passion is the magnificent fire that lights the journey with excitement, joy and exhilaration. It is the magical blend that can change the world. Howard Schultz captures the magic in their synergy saying: “When you’re surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible.” Live your magnificent life with purpose and passion… every beautiful moment. They are all so fleeting.

Have a beautiful day and a magnificent week!!!

Mike 

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