With the economy running cold, tapping into the latent springs of passion can give you an edge to offset uncertainties, according to consultant Richard Chang.
In his book, "The Passion Plan at Work: Building a Passion-Driven Organization," Chang shares practical lessons from his 25 years of experience helping businesses improve individual and organizational performance. Chang offers a seven-step model for creating passion-based change in your company.
Step 1. Start from the heart. "Making the leap from being a reason-based organization to a passion-driven one can seem daunting," Chang said. "Leaders and (staff) must overcome the traditional biases against emotion in business and embrace passion as a source of success. They must begin to view the heart not as a source of weakness, but as a reserve of hidden strength."
Step 2. Identify core passions. Examine the forces that motivate your company, individually and collectively. Evaluate your business's competencies, strengths and growth potential. Then, consider the feelings of the managers, staff and clients, and look for connections between those emotions and company performance.
Step 3. Clarify purpose. Whether a business is in its infancy or an aging relic in need of revitalization, it must define reasons for existing - the direction it will take and the ends it will serve. "If its purpose is in alignment with the core passions of the organization, it will provide a viable means of pursuing and sustaining them," Chang said.
Step 4. Define actions. After you've clearly defined your organization's passion and purpose, you need to create a plan for getting there.
Step 5. Perform with passion. "If leaders undertake the discovery and planning processes privately, the changes they introduce may come as a shock to those both inside and outside the organization," Chang noted.
"Even if (staff) is aware of changes in advance, they might not be prepared to accept or benefit from them. To ensure that the transition will work, it is critical that the organization be truly aligned in its efforts as plans are deployed. The leaders must not only introduce change, they must exemplify it."
Step 6. Spread excitement. There is a snowball effect with passion. Once it begins to roll, it picks up speed and takes others along for the ride. But they are not taken unwillingly. They are eager to join and partake of the energy passion creates. Organizations that are sensitive to this effect can seek to capitalize on it.
Step 7. Stay the course. "Usually, organizations that begin to make passion-based change are uplifted," Chang pointed out. "Much to their surprise, they often find the changes easier than they anticipated and are energized by their efforts. Even so, they must be certain not to get carried away by their successes. They must remain close to the passion that inspired them and seek diligently to preserve it. The same holds true for those who find change difficult."
This information provided by the Institute of Management & Administration.