Is Being Passionate About Work Always Good? – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #878

Is Being Passionate About Work Always Good? – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #878

Dear Colleagues!  This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #878 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans  aims to share knowledge and wisdom from Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on  WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here.

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Understanding Passion for Work

Passion for work is a positive emotional state characterized by enthusiasm, motivation, sense of purpose, and commitment. A passionate person displays a strong interest in and enjoyment of one's work, a desire to put in extra effort and go above and beyond expectations, a sense of meaning and connection to one's work, and a strong dedication to fulfilling one's responsibilities and achieving goals.

Passion at work may accord several benefits, including but not limited to, increased creativity and innovation, improved productivity and performance, greater resilience and perseverance, enhanced job satisfaction and employee engagement, and stronger team cohesion and collaboration.

Leaders/Managers who express genuine passion, are better able to inspire their teams, peers and even seniors. As they say, ‘his passion fired up everyone’. 

Jon M. Jachimowicz writes, “When an employee expresses passion for an idea at the right time and in the right context, this intense positive energy can act like a gravitational pull that sucks in other workers to invest their time and support, ultimately contributing toward the success of idea”. Virgin Group Founder, Richard Branson observed, “Passion, like a smile is contagious. It rubs off on everyone around you and attracts enthusiastic people into your orbit”.

Passion may be expressed differently in different settings, jobs, and cultures. For example, almost all school level debating boys and girls gesticulate incessantly with arms flying, make facial expressions to match the sentence of their speech, and never stand still. However, similar expression is unsuitable for a product manager while making a presentation on a new marketing campaign. Relevant to jobs, marketing, business development, and consultants may benefit from explicit expression of passion, while accountants and regulatory people may be seen negatively if they display passion; the latter are supposed to be methodical and emotionless. Jachimowicz, referred to earlier, is a native of Germany where the German word for passion literally translates to ‘one’s ability to endure hardship’. German workers are more likely to express passion quietly by putting their heads down, working hard, and being persistent. Americans, on the other hand, believe in louder expression of passion, which he learnt the hard way.

The Flip Side of Passion

While passion can be a powerful force for good in the workplace, it's important to recognize that it isn't always appropriate or beneficial. 

Excessive passion may cause burnout earlier, because constant desire to achieve can lead to overwork and exhaustion. When it overrides healthy boundaries, passionate employees may struggle to switch off or disengage after work hours, leading to work-life imbalance.

Passion may create unrealistic expectations as employees feel overly optimistic, leading to dejection if those expectations aren't met.

Passion in competitive environment discourages collaboration. Excessively passionate individuals may try to dominate conversations and decision-making, which can stifle teamwork and collaboration. They may also actively work against competing colleagues to ensure that those do not earn a coveted promotion. 

It may become an excuse for poor behavior where rude and unprofessional behaviors like aggression, impatience, and intolerance may be justified in the name of passion.

It may contradict organizational goals, if individual passion does not align with the company's values and objectives. 

High level of passion may overshadow expertise and skills, although passion cannot be a substitute for required knowledge and skills.

Passion may also be harmful if it leads to a single-minded focus, where the person may neglect other responsibilities. 

A highly passionate individual may create unnecessary pressure for others who may be hard-pressed to match his level of intensity.

Excessive Passion creates high energy which may sometimes cloud judgment and prevent objective assessment of situations, leading to biased decision-making.

Finally, passion must be genuine. Pretended or feigned passion does not inspire others and will be detected sooner than later.

Sum Up

For years, we have been fed with the notion that passion is the most desirable thing to have. Our managers, leaders, orators, and motivational speakers, all have been singing in praise of passion. Passion is certainly not bad, but it is not the panacea it is promoted to be. 

The key to maximizing the benefits of passion at work lies in striking a balance. It's important to express enthusiasm and commitment while maintaining professionalism, acknowledging limitations, and respecting diverse perspectives. Building self-awareness and emotional intelligence can help individuals manage their passion productively and create a positive work environment for themselves and colleagues.

Passion can be a powerful tool for self-motivation and professional success, but it's important to wield it with caution and understand its potential drawbacks.

Concluded.

Reference:

https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/when-your-passion-works-against-you