Lost some of you already haven’t I? You want to argue with me before you even know what I’m going to say. You want to tell me that you are passionate about what you do. Good for you. I don’t care. No one else does either. Your passion is of no value to me. It has no value to your customers either. As my friend, Joe Calloway, author of Becoming A Category Of One says, “To the customer, passion is an invisible word.” I totally agree.
The dictionary defines passion as a “strong and barely controllable emotion.” Tell me the role that plays in getting the job done. None. Passion is just a word we use when we are trying to convince people that we really care about what we do. People love saying they are passionate about their job. And we love hearing that the people we do business with are passionate about what they do because we think we will get a better product or they will give us better service. Total BS. Passion has no value and is a word that ultimately means nothing.
A few years ago, I appeared on CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch. He always had a handful of entrepreneurs on the show talking about their businesses and each show seemed to have a theme. At the end of the show he had an expert come out what he called The Millionaire Minute where he would talk to them about the show’s theme and get their take based on their experience and expertise. I was the guy doing the Millionaire Minute and wouldn’t you know, the theme that night was passion. Yuk. When he said to me, “Larry, what do you think of passion?” I answered with, “Donny, I think passion is a total load of crap.” He went pale under all of his orange makeup. He said, “I disagree!” I said, “It’s your show and you have every right to be wrong. But I know people who are passionate and they are passionately incompetent. “ I went on to say that people don’t hire me because I am passionate, they hire me because I am amazing at what I do. I am paid for hard work and excellence, not passion. And that’s what I believe: All of us are paid for being good at our jobs, not for being passionate about our jobs.
I gave a speech one evening to a large group. It was an after dinner speech and when I finished, on my way back to the room, I slipped over into a dark corner of the bar to have a nightcap before heading up to my room to go to bed. Big mistake. The meeting had ended and here they came. The president of the company walked over to me and said, “I want to thank you for your passion up there tonight.” I was polite and thanked him but then told him that he didn’t see any passion up there tonight, he saw a guy who was really good at his job. He laughed and said, “Oh no, you can’t fool me, you were passionate about what you had to say.” I told him that I believed what I had to say and was good at saying it and that is was years of hard work and a commitment to excellence that produced the speech he had observed and had paid me for. I went on to tell him that I was passionate about sitting on my patio with a fine cigar in my right hand, a premium scotch in my left hand, my bulldog in my lap, my wife by my side, listening to Merle Haggard playing in the background. I am good at my job and I am passionate about my family. He left confused I am sure.
Hard work and excellence: those are the keys to success. And it takes both. Some people work really hard, yet are horrible at what they do. Some people are amazing at what they do yet don’t work hard enough for it to matter. You can’t have one without the other if you want to achieve amazing results. But passion plays no part. If you care about results, you have to agree that we need a lot less passion and a whole lot more hard work and excellence.
Think about it:
I don’t want a doctor who is passionate about doing surgery; I want a doctor who is amazing at doing surgery.
I don’t want the soldier, cop, or firefighter to be passionate about their jobs; I want them to be really good at their jobs. When they are, they keep me (and themselves) safe.
I don’t want a teacher who is passionate about teaching kids; I want them to actually teach kids the subject they are paid to teach them.
I am betting that you are a lot like me. I don’t pay for passion; I pay for results. I pay for people to actually do their job and do it well. I don’t care whether they are passionate about their work or whether they hate it, that’s not my concern. I want results. Know what? That’s the way it is with your customers too. And that’s the way it should be with your employer. They all want results achieved through hard work and excellence.
I don’t want a “barely controllable emotion” any where near me or my money or my customers. I don’t trust emotions. Emotions wane. They are like the tides, they come and they go. Instead, I want someone with a total commitment to achieving results through hard work and excellence. Don’t you?
I know that even after the logical argument I have presented here, many of you will still be screaming about the need for passion and defending your own passion. That’s fine. I know that people are in love with “passion” and the feelings that the word evokes. I believe that’s because passion requires very little from us while hard work and excellence require almost everything from us.
“…passionate about sitting on my patio with a fine cigar in my right hand, a premium scotch in my left hand, my bulldog in my lap…” – hahaha.
Top man.
I agree passion is not the reason for being great at what a person does for a living only hard work and a determination not to quit can do that. As you talked about being passionate for the time with your wife and the lifestyle you enjoy, those things are afforded by working hard and becoming great at what you do. A story was related to me by a friend, imagine everyone walking around with a 2×4 and their greatest desire was to have a 1″ hole in that 2×4 and that hole could represent anything (a retirement, a new home, a family you get the idea) to get that hole they need a drill with a 1″ bit on it. In life to many people walk around trying to use the wrong tool to get that hole. To many times I hear that I do this because it is what I am passionate about doing and yet they never get that 1″ hole. If it isn’t a drill with a 1″ bit I don’t care how good you get at it, it will not produce the desired result. Passion is great for the things you want in life, but like you said hard work and determination to be great at using that drill will give you the life you want. Thank’s for the insight it was great.
Andrew Derr
Well … I’ll be turning this one over in my head for a while. I have always said that I believe in being passionate. I don’t think it’s necessary, but I’ve always believed it’s beneficial. Nevertheless, what you’re saying here can’t be refuted.
I really want to argue about it, but reading it at face value, I can’t. You’re absolutely right. Emotion fluctuates. Devotion, by its very definition, does not. Being a hard worker and being good at what we do usually necessitates a quieting of our passions in order to focus on what has to be done.
I cannot deny that my passionate, artistic friends are usually passionately, artistically broke – unemployed for long stretches of time, willing to live off of others or on next to nothing. It’s those people in my life who are able to flip the switch on passion who actually get things done. Including me. Oh, how I hate to admit that, but it’s true. Passion is not what gets me to class in the morning after working all night. Passion wants to stay under the covers and sleep.
You have a good point, Mr. Winget. It’s going to sting for a little while, but truth often does.
Larry, your post reminded me of the focus and direction section on page 62 of your book “Shut up..” I use the metaphor of the untied balloon all the time with my team and peers. My question is: does the person who is hard working, excellent, AND passionate carry any edge as you see it? I work in a technology services position and wear the “unsung hero” label as a badge of honor. However, as a leader I believe that passion works like personal “advertising” for hard work and excellence that rubs off on customers, team members, and employers in a positive way. Much like “false advertising” it is useless or counterproductive in the absence of hard work and excellence. What do you think?
Thanks for all your great stuff!
Doesn’t surprise me that Donny wears orange makeup
Thank you, Larry, for speaking the truth as always. I too am absolutely fed up with people who talk about passion all the time while not anywhere near the results needed in their particular situation. We are responsible for our lives and our results; no one cares about how we feel while producing those results. Based on what I see around me every day, all of us need to focus on doing the hard work and achieving the excellence and forget about all the emotional nonsense that we use as an excuse for not getting the results we want. Once again, thank you for all the good work that you do.
Nicely said! I would say that was passionate!!!
Larry–thank you SO much for this article. What a relief! I have always thought that this whole “you’ve got to be passionate” stuff was a load of BS and now here you are with a great article saying the same thing. I totally agree that hard work and excellence are paramount to success. You don’t have to love what you do–you know what needs to get done–you just have to do it, and do it well. Passion is fine but it’s not a replacement for the other things that matter more. Sometimes it’s even a hindrance because passion can cover up a lot of faults or act as a substitute for the real work that has to get done.
Thanks again for a very refreshing, honest article. I can always count on you.
I believe it’s more of a linguistical argument, then a real one. When most people talk about passion, especially most professionals, they talk about caring about your job enough to do it really well. You describe the same effect (excellence), but in different words. In many ways I think your way of wording it is better and less confusing then calling it “passion”, less prone to be abused by attitudes like “I’m looking for my true passion”, but the essence seems to be the same.
I agree but disagree. This seems to be an example of a speaker deliberately saying the opposite of common believe to get a reaction. Indeed, discipline and hard work are missing in our world today – just look at the divorce rate. People hoping passion alone will carry them to their 50th wedding anniversaries are wrong. Marriage — like business success — fails without discipline and hard work. But an absence of passion doesn’t work either. Passion is the spark that ignites careers and relationships. Hard work keeps the pilot light of passion burning for the long haul.
Roger, I am not a speaker who takes the opposite of a common belief to get a reaction. I look deeper than the surface to find common sense. I also look at what the word really means instead of what we commonly believe it to mean.
And in this case, I am thinking as a buyer/customer/employer explaining that YOUR passion has no tangible VALUE to me, the guy paying you. When you think in terms of value, passion has none.
Larry, I get your point and agree with the idea that it’s all about results, whether we like it or not.
But I do know that when I am teaching students in my capacity as a golf professional, my passion and enthusiasm for wanting them to succeed is a real component that makes a serious difference.
I have seen the other version, where a golf pro simply gves the information, and the results are much poorer by comparison.
Now if by this you mean that I am doing my job better, then I cannot argue with that, but for me it’s about an eagerness and an honest desire to get my students to be the very best that they can be, ……I always thought this was a passion for my work.
Great response Larry. I’m honored to be dialoging with The Man. I still think passion has some value to the buyer/customer/employer. When I look at the jobs (employment) I’ve gotten in the past, the hiring managers chose me not only my experience by how much I wanted the job (passion). But this is a great dialog and I agree that we focus too much on passion/emotion and not enough on results, discipline, hard work, all of which you profess extremely well. You are also a shining example of authenticity, which I greatly admire and respect.
Larry… I’m like the others here… I simply cannot refute the absolute logic in the way you’ve pout this. And I never looked at it that way before. Maybe because I listened to Tony Robbins 20 years ago… and he’s BIG on passion. Gee, I’d love to see the two of you on a show together! Now that would show some REAL passion…
Passion is something for yourself and not for your customers. If you have passion it’s a bonus. It’s like went you, Larry, wrote about coworkers are friends it’s a bonus. The most important thing is to be good at what we do and doing it well. Passion it’s a bonus period.
As many, I wanted to argue with you but I quickly figured out that I, and many people, define passion as also being “really good” at something. But then, after reading, I quickly figured out that is NOT the definition at all.
Passion without action is useless. You have to do the work to get the result. There is just no way around it- action is all that matters. People are way to in touch with their “feelings” these days.
Great points! I often get criticised by saying that there is no place for emotion in either law or business. Since the employer / employee relationship is about money in exchange for goods or services delivered, it is actually both.
You are spot on when it comes to passion, I have seen the same as you point out. A person may want to do well, but in the end, it comes down to whether they can deliver on what they are being paid to do. This is by the person who is the biggest jerk in the office, yet the highest performer is tolerated. It is not about them being a jerk, it is about what they actually deliver.
This is just another great example of raw truth that many do not want to see or face.
Thanks and have a Great Thanksgiving!
Gee, come to think of it, you are absolutely right. “Passion” is one of those over-used feel-good buzzwords like “empowerment” and falls in step with the claim that “if you do what you love, the money will follow.” Oh, the magic.
I agree with Aymee, what you have said will take some time to sink in – not because I don’t agree but having been told I can only be successful when I “find my passion” has been drilled into my head for so long. OMG – Now I can see that it has been an excuse!! I have been so focused on finding something I am passionate about, that I failed to actually do something constructive to move me further ahead. Because I don’t “feel” passionate about any one thing in particular, I thought there was something wrong with me.
Wow – this has hit me like a ton of bricks. Minute by minute your “rant” is revealing inconsistant messages I have lived by for so long. What a gift you have just given to me personally. Thanks for the kick in the butt to stop making excuses and get busy!
I agree-I am not “passionate” about looking at paperwork, but I am excellent at finding mistakes and do the best job I can. I get paid for that. I am passionate about enjoying music, doing art and photography and writing fiction. I don’t make so much money there. I do the excellent work so I can pay for the things I am passionate about.
I had not thought about this before I read your little blurb. I have to say I agree, hard work not passionately. I may be passionate, but keeping it to myself is the only way to enjoy it. Others would not understand – its oh so personal. Thanks for the insight.
Larry…I’m always passionate about reading your blog because you are amazingly good at twisting the way I think about things and getting me to take a new look at old and tired ideas.
Top flight, as always! Thank you for doing such an amazing job!
I believe hard work, excellence and dedication absolutely are required to do an outstanding job. However, without passion for this work, it is impossible to sustain excellence over the long haul. I am living proof. I feel as if my soul shrinks a little bit more each day.
Having said this, much depends on the individual’s motivation. If you’re excellent at what you do, yet passionless about it, but make a ton of money doing it, and money is your motivation, then you can continue until you’ve reached your “enough”.
I gotta say, I personally like this, but I think it’s a bit detached from reality.
First: Nobody cares about passion? Apparently, the president of that company does. And to some people, it’s important what he thinks. Who should his employees try to impress – him or you?
Second: Sure, when people hire you, they’re looking for results, not passion. But the results haven’t come yet, and they still have to decide whether to hire you. So what they really pay for are predictors of good results. Your “excellence,” i.e., skill level and past success, is only that – a predictor of future success. So is a college or graduate degree, a high test score, a good work ethic, an impeccable reputation, a professional award, or anything else you may advertise to a prospective employer, client, or customer. Passion is also a predictor. This is especially true in artistic/creative fields of endeavor, but it applies to anyone, particularly people with little experience – passion for their jobs may predict willingness to commit, to improve. Heck, a passionate person is more likely to put in the hard work you value so highly – the hard work that cannot factor into the hiring decision because the candidate hasn’t done it yet.
Consider this: Would you trust a surgeon who obviously was apathetic about your health? He may have an amazing education and track record, but he may also have been passionate throughout all of that, until his kid died a week ago. You just don’t know.
In short, passion is irrelevant only in hindsight. Paying for results doesn’t mean that you’ll actually get them.
“Passion” is business code for commitment to excellence and to hard work.
What’s wrong with that?
By using the dictionary defintition, you miss the point.
I think what you are really trying to do is establish some criteria (in your mind) that allows you to weed out people you don’t like for other reasons.
Also, your objections to the word “passion” allow you to be a jerk to people in general and to aspouse your confrontational beliefs.
THAT’S what “has no value”!
By the way, “value” is always completely subjective, if you were unsure.
I’m not sure why I bother to write this, but maybe it will make me feel better.
Passion has no value to the customer, but if we dont have any passion for what we do, we wouldnt be motivated to do it or do it well, right?
Passion can also be defined as, “devotion to some activity, object or concept.”
Having been in law enforcement for close to 15 years now, and having been in a corporate environment for about a decade prior to that, I can say that there is a huge difference between the relevant motivations, or “passion”, if you will, between the two cultures. In corporate America, we were driven by the bottom line. The proverbial “effort vs results” argument–the better your ideas and articulation and follow through–the higher your (imputed or direct) value for your customers and therefore the company. I understand that.
Law Enforcement, properly executed, requires something more from a person than a “bottom line” mentality. True, there are some in my profession who joined and remain only because the “eagle” lands every two weeks. I can speak from personal experience that these are the kinds of individuals I do not want as partners. They tend to be unfocused, and do not pay attention to important detail. For the remainder of us, we are there because we genuinely want to be of service. There is no amount of money can make up for the loss of our lives, the loss of a limb, loss of eyesight or motor function; or for the fear for our lives that our families can sometimes maintain on our behalf–just for doing our jobs.
I have heard people say that cops are “paid to take bullets”. Although I accept the risks that come with the job, I cannot be compensated for my life. Mind–I am not making the argument that actuarial computation cannot, based on age, health and other factors, spit out a number for which my life or death can be valued–I am saying that there is no free market price that is an accurate indicator for what my life is worth to me. (Similar to the economic argument against eminent domain)
Passion is the motivating force that drives us to do what we do, in spite of the danger. There are still some of us, even in our jaded, reality-TV driven world who want to preserve the freedoms and the rights that our ancestors recognized and fought for; those that are articulated in the great documents stored in the National Archives. Passion is what sustains us through rigorous training, in 30+ pounds of gear, in sweltering heat or numbing cold. We are not there because we are getting a bonus. We are individuals who know that we have taken on a sacred trust to preserve and protect. We do our jobs and do them well because if we did nothing, the predators would rule.
Idealistic? Maybe. But if there were not people willing to stand up for others (whether they are police officers or not), we would live in a poorer world. We have customers who do not even know they received the benefit of police action. How do you measure what didn’t happen, just because of the presence of a uniformed police officer? Or because a violent criminal is apprehended?
Most people will never understand the Law Enforcement operating environment. Some will think they do because they have been educated by Hollywood. Still others won’t care as long as they can get to the Macy’s sale.
Within an environment where risk (of bodily or other harm) outweighs appropriate compensation, but the job still must be done, it may be that the individuals doing that job have a “passion” for it.
Passion provides a long-term (sometimes ineffable) value to the customer, regardless of where the passion comes from. If passion has no value to the customer–why do engineers design bridges to outlast their own and their children’s lifetimes? The engineers are not collecting a revenue stream after death that goes to their descendants for every year that the bridge doesn’t fail. Why are 2000-year old acqueducts still servicing Rome?
Happy Thanksgiving.
Kevin, hope you feel better.
Tom, i know a lot of cops. My son is a cop. I have never heard one say that passion was what caused them to do what they do in spite of the danger. However, I would never argue with why a cop does what he does. Thanks for your service.
Good, My motivation to be good at what I do has nothing to do with passion. I am committed to being excellent because I won’t settle for less than my best from myself. It is a matter of personal integrity. And I like the monetary rewards that always accompanies excellence. And it is what my customers pay for.
Joe, a surgeon who was apathetic wouldn’t really be excellent would they? No. They might be technically capable as you describe but not excellent. As for trying to impress me, the employees of the company shouldn’t be trying to impress me for sure and they were not a part of the conversation so I don’t see the correlation. As for the president of the company in my story, my point to him was that what he witnessed was my dedication to being worth what he paid me because of years of dedication to my craft.
By the way Joe, detached from reality I am not. I very much live in the real world and work with companies daily who pay for work, value, excellence, dedication, loyalty, and more and I have yet to see one pay for passion.
And Kevin, in business ‘passion’ is not code for anything more than an exuberant emotion. And I am not as you say “unsure of the meaning of value” in business. It is the monetary worth of an asset. Look it up. People are either assets meaning they are worth more than they cost or liabilities meaning they cost more than they are worth. Same for products, services, equipment,etc. You say value is always subjective. That couldn’t be more incorrect.
Thanks for your input, all of you, and glad the posting got such a lively discussion going and made you examine your own passions, work ethic and beliefs.
Larry,
I agree, re: passion. I learned a long time ago that I can’t look to feel fulfilled or invigorated by doing a particular job.
I went to school for graphic design, got a job within 6 months of graduation doing web design (knowing basically nothing about coding), and did well for a few years. When the whole division (including myself) was laid off, I immediately took to contracting and doing any side job I could in my field. Did well for a while, too. Had to learn a lot of technical stuff that they didn’t teach in school, as well as how to sell on my own (you even gave me some suggestions through Facebook, Larry, which worked pretty good, so thank you for that).
Then, this year, everything ground to a halt. Contracts dried up, in terms of tasks, and individual clients (whether people, small business, or NPOs) either flaked out, or had too much to do for too little money (not in a haggling way, either…more like asking for two solid, full-time months worth of work for $500 total, half of which goes to taxes…that sort of stuff).
So, whether I like it or not, I am, for all intents and purposes, out of the business. Nothing really new going on, and I don’t expect anything. I apply everywhere, and am updating and redesigning my site to be more of a consultant than anything else. In the meantime, I look for anything that I can physically get to: anything from data entry to flipping burgers. No takers yet, but something has to turn around sometime.
The big point here is, working even the most menial job does not humiliate me or make me feel bad; only NOT obtaining a job humiliates me or makes me feel bad, as I am a good worker who likes to do a job the right way, and serve people as needed.
My reasoning is that, frankly, my passion is not web design, nor is it graphic design. It’s not any kind of design, or art, or book, or movie, or anything like that. My passion is staying with my wife through thick and thin, looking to keep a roof over our heads and, one day, if we’re lucky, saving up to get a house in the country somewhere. I am not my job, or my credit score, or anything like that. I am me.
I was passionate about my son…..like you are about your family….but my passion, my beautiful 31 year old son was hit by a car and died 2 year ago this month. I am a woman-owned business and as a single mother I was adament about the worth of my company to put my passion through college. Now? My employees are praying that somehow I can keep the value of my business of 25 years alive since my passion is not…thanks for your thoughts, Larry….my kid really liked you.
Lynn
Thanks Larry. It’s called work for a reason.
I think the origin of Passion has to do with submission, not so much as an emotion about some goal or work. Passion is usually attributed to the work that Christ was able to do even knowing what was going to happen to him in the end, he submitted to his calling. I think it would be safe to say if Christians are customers, the Passion of Christ in his work has value to them. Had he not completed the work (completely submitted), there would have been no value. I think the term has changed from its original meaning.
Larry,
I understand and appreciate your opinion. It’s your website and your email blast and you have the right to be wrong! Passion is a key ingredient in the due process of becoming excellent at your job. I’m not talking about being really good, I’m talking about being exceptional. Without passion a person will vary with different levels of commitment and focus. With passion the probability of reaching higher levels are dramatically increased.
I do agree that working harder not smarter is simply wasting time. Passion is still at the nucleus of both over long periods of time.
With passion a person will continually improve because of that passion. (not the only reason) This in itself avoids complacency. It’s easy to spot a person who is really good at his job but has no passion. This is simply wasted untapped talent.
When I purchase a product or service, I’m like you and I don’t care about the passion, but I sure as hell have a lot more confidence in the purchase when I know the provider was and is passionate about the product. That person will stand behind the sale far greater than the person who is not passionate. The person who does not have passion won’t because they have a limited desire if any to improve. Why would they, they are already great at there job so any problem must be the consumers.
So let me ask you, do you think Michael Jordan, Steve Jobs or anyone else on that level would have reached those heights without being passionate about their craft? If you think so your just pushing a whole lot of BS compounded by a narcissistic opinion. A wrong one at that when it comes to human behavior.
Your not passionate about puffing on a stogy with a scotch and family by your side with Merle Haggard in the background, your passionate about quality relaxation time with the comfort of all you have worked for. All but the family are just bi products of that vibe. It’s the passion of those loved ones that’s the driving force.
I don’t see any need for a discussion or debate here , passion is a prerequisite , you would automatically work at what you are passionate about and that would bring about excellence which would automatically bring value to the work that you do. Its difficult to work hard and excel in something you are NOT passionate about. All are important but connected.
An unnecessary debate.
Just posted my response:
http://businessinbluejeans.com/blog/2011/12/a-response-to-passion-has-no-value/
Larry, your “spot on” here. I’ve been in sales for the same organization for almost 30 years and am excellent, earning the highest awards our company offers year after year, including a lifetime achievement award that very few ever earn. Your viewpoint was like a “light bulb” going on for me as I’ve never felt very passionate about what I do. I don’t even like it that much to be honest. But, as I have mentioned, I am very, very good at it. That’s a fact. It’s never had anything to do with passion, it’s work ethic, a competitive nature, and the ability to build trust with clients. They trust me because I am trustworthy. Period. So, thanks for putting this whole “passion” thing into words. It helps me settle an ongoing battle inside myself that I’ve struggled with for a long, long time.
Passion or performance? Which is more important?
PERFORMANCE…
Passion is only a self-emphasized belief, and emotion we all hold towards how we act or perceive something we believe in. People, places, whatev….
I’m with you Larry. Makes perfect sense to smart people…
Scott Lucas
270-872-6990
http://www.scottlucasstrategies.com
If we define passion as being in love with what you’re doing, and we define excellence as producing great results in what you do, then isn’t it likely that people who are passionate are also likely to be excellent at their jobs?
I am confused…
Where I work people are not passionate about their jobs so when I call to request something they do not care and get it done when ever they feel like it.
so if they were passionate would’nt they want to get it done faster and happier?
I feel results and passion should go together. If I worked in a call center (no offense to anyone) and I hated this job and was not passionate the job would feel like a chore and I would not do my best.
You find exceptions, but passion is definitely a strong motivator for some people. People like Arnold schwarzenegger had passion. Steve Jobs said the following, ” People with passion can change the world for the better.” I don’t want to paint success with a broad brush, neither speak with absolutes. For some people passion was key, for others it was something else. The important things is, did it work out for you? Whom am I to argue with someone’s reason success? Some people eat to live, others live to eat, but the results where the same. They ate.