How to make people passionate about their work

I know two CEOs: one in publishing is a friend; the other in manufacturing is an e-mail correspondent. Both are in their 60s and both act as if they are closer to 22. Their sense of vitality springs from their passion for what they do.

Each feels a sense of pride in the businesses he leads; more importantly, each is pushing his respective organization to new heights with a vigor found typically in much younger men. Their can-do attitudes seem almost corny, as if drawn from an earlier era or from musicals like “The Music Man.” But each of them is in exactly the right position at the right time.

Generating enthusiasm, or passion, for what you do is essential under any circumstances. But it is doubly so in perilous times. When everything around us seems to be coming apart, a leader who has a passion for what he does is crucial. That spirit fuels the engine of enthusiasm needed to spark the enterprise. More importantly, such passion is vital to convincing others that the work matters. It is easy to get discouraged by today’s market news and so it is vital that someone, be it the CEO or another senior leader, serves as the organization’s designated cheerleader.

Ultimately instilling passion for the work is not an exercise in rah-rah; it is a search for meaning and significance:

Focus on the positive. Passion in leaders can be palpable; you know in an instant that the executive cares about the company. In my experience, the senior leaders who stroll through the halls with a nod or good word to say to all are the ones who get things done. And it is because they are out and about, not cloistered in their offices. They are meeting with employees and customers, vendors and investors, getting to know issues and concerns. They also use these times to talk up the good things.

Address the negatives. Passionate leaders are not Pollyannas; they know the score, precisely because they spend so much time out of their offices. They see firsthand what is working and what is not, and because they have relationships with people at all levels of the company, they can more readily mobilize employees to solve problems.

Set high expectations. Those who care about the work and set high standards challenge others to do the same. But they should remember to balance their approach – knowing to ease up sometimes on workloads but never on expectations.

As much as generating passion for the work matters, it is no guarantee of success, or even survival. Radiating passion cannot make up for ignoring attention to the fundamentals.

Yet successful organizations are about more than the fiscal prudence. They are about the collective values and aspirations of dedicated men and women who have made a choice to work there. Such organizations, be they in health care or manufacturing, consumer goods or government, ultimately depend upon the commitment of individuals pulling together to make things work. That’s why you need leaders who have a passion for what they do and are able to spread that passion to others – so that people feel better about what they do, and ultimately, what they can do better.

(John Baldoni is a leadership consultant and the author of six books on leadership, including “Lead By Example: 50 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Results.”)