Summary: For the many people including leaders that are stuck in a job they don't love, the lack of passion cannot be hidden. I experienced this very thing in my own career. I grew to the place-- or I should say I descended to the place where I lacked the passion for my job. I'll never forget one day when I was putting on a baseball cap in my garage, made by the folks at “Life is Good.” Sewn inside the cap are these words, which come into view when you place the cap on your head: do what you like, like what you do. I read those words and said to myself, "I am doing neither." It was time for a change. That baseball cap changed my life. What we cover in today's Podcast show: The Passion timeline Nothing Trumps Passion Passion Pirañas Seven Deadly Motives How do get your groove back How to know if it is time to move on Exercise to check your passion People follow people of passion. I have observed for years that if you light yourself on fire, people will come to watch you burn. Stephen Jobs is a great example of that. It does not matter if you are an Apple person or a PC user; you have to admire his passion. He changed five massive industries including music, personal computers, phones, animation and mobile computing. Steve Jobs was notoriously tough to work with, but he had passion for elegant devices that have covered the globe. In my recent trip to China I saw the biggest Apples stores ever and everyone seemed to have an iPhone and iPad. Back in the early days of Apple, Jobs inspired their advertisers to take a different path than everyone else in selling their very unique computers. He was not just pushing computers, he had a passion to change the world. He helped create the famous ad campaign, “Here’s to the crazy ones!” Apple ad in 1997 – Here’s to the crazy ones “ Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. - Apple Inc. Leadership can wear you out. I hate to strip away the varnish on this and speak the truth, but it is tough being the tip of the spear. The higher you go in leadership, the more eyes you have on you, and the more people there are to drain you. There are so many things around you that can eat away at your passion like deadly piranhas. Proverbs 4:23 say’s it well, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” If we lose our heart we lose our leadership credibility. Here are some of the big passion piranhas I have experienced and/or seen in fellow leaders that robbed them of their passion: Passion Pirañas o Prolonged discouragement o Opposition to your vision o Workaholism o Lack of real vacations o Working way outside of your gifting o Unrealistic expectations of others o Unrealistic expectations of yourself o Unending marriage problems in the leader’s marriage o Constant financial pressure o A pattern of failure in leadership o Dysfunctional people o Unhealthy leadership team o Lack of a leadership team to share the load o Constant unresolved staff conflict o Lack of respect for your leaders above you o Hidden moral failure o Neglect of your relationship with God Seven Deadly Motives for Staying in a Job Past Your Passion Seven deadly motives for hanging on to position when your passion is gone: * Power * Prestige * Position * Popularity * Pride * Personal Gain * Paycheck.. You really have two options: Get your groove back or move on…. How to Get Your Groove Back
