You Can’t Taste Love ©
I watch a lot of Food Network. I love food. I love to eat. I love to cook. And I also love watching other people cook. One of the things that always makes me laugh is when some bozo is talking about their recipe and they say something silly like, “And the secret ingredient in the recipe is love.” They talk about love like it’s an ingredient. It’s not. They might love cooking but you can’t taste the love in the food. You can taste the salt or the pepper or the myriad of other ingredients, but you can’t taste the love. Love is an emotion, not a tangible part of the end result.
That’s an example of just how ridiculous much of our language has become, especially when it comes to talk about business and what it takes to be successful in business. We talk about emotions like love and passion as if they were ingredients in our product or sercice. Nonsense. There is no love in your food any more than there is love in your lawnmower. If you sell lawnmowers and I’m buying a lawnmower, I am paying for quality, value and service. I’m not paying for any love. Love won’t cut my grass.
Yet, we somehow believe now that when people say they are passionate about what they do or love their work, their work will automatically be of higher quality. We have all been burned by people who were passionately incompetent and by people who love what they do but the fact is, they are lousy at it.
The lesson for each of us, regardless of our product or service is this: Focus on quality, value and service. That’s what your customers pay for. Those things are not emotions, they are tangibles that can be measured and quantified. I will always happily exchange my money for a tangible benefit but will never turn it over for a meaningless emotion.
What is it that drives someone very competent at what they do who those on the outside look at them decide what they do is insane? What is it that makes someone be willing to sacrifice up to their life for an ideal? I believe some answer a calling. Regardless of the pay and in spite of the sacrifice, they continue to do their job.
And how is a person measured who may be lousy at a job but continues to do that job and learns from their mistakes and failures. What drives them to keep going when the feedback indicates they are no good?
Love your directness!
Larry Winget as usual. Little nail and a great big hammer hitting that nail right on the head.
Hi Larry, I agree that passion is an overused word people voice to describe what they do. The “love” expressed for their work or job makes me want to gag sometimes. Love and passion is not service, a tasty ingredient or tangible item you can hold in your hand. I do believe however that love and passion are powerful personal qualities and emotions that can be expressed through a person’s work. My example is my wife’s cooking. When she’s feeling the “love” for her family and cooks a meal, you can literally taste the love. The food is absolutely delicious, the presentation is divine and it’s hard to stop eating. On the other hand, if she’s not in the mood to cook or feels compelled to cook because of some family obligation, that is one nasty meal. The Food network, like most TV is entertainment. Don’t take them so literally. I get your point, but love and passion can be embedded in a person’s work. It absolutely provides the motivation for many well prepared meals.