Photo Credits, Tim Alamenciak

What is a defining characteristic you see in high-performing athletes, successful entrepreneurs, well-respected artists and high-level educators? The characteristic I see in all these individuals is present despite their different socio-economics, upbringing, education or experience levels.

It is PASSION.

I have spoken on the difference between a leader and a follower. Consider for a moment, how many successful leaders have you followed who have lacked passion or a drive to accomplish that which was in front of them? The answer is probably none.

Now consider where you are right now. What goal do you have for your business that you believe in so strongly, one you will go for despite all challenges and obstacles?

Accomplishing a dream and making a real change in the world around you is hard work. Steve Jobs said we have to have a lot of passion for what we do because if we don’t, any rational person would give up. I agree entirely.

Other successful entrepreneurs have said similar things on the importance of passion in work; Jeff Bezos said, “One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves. You don’t choose your passions; your passions choose you.”

And when your passion is intertwined with love and the optimism of what could be, you will be driven to capture what most would think is impossible.  Mark Twain, I feel, said it best, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

See more of what Steve Jobs had to say on passion in this short video of his talk to entrepreneurs:

My passion is to see millions of people’s lives positively impacted through a social commerce platform that will redefine distribution as we know it.

I would love to hear what your passions are in the comment section below. Remember, when leaders are truly passionate, everyone around them who is part of their pursuit, feels that passion in themselves as well.

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Photo Credits: MobilFunk7, Flickr

If you Google “What makes a great leader” you get about 26 million results. Aspiring leaders are inundated with advice on how to become one of the greats. It has been my experience as a leader of successful companies that great leadership comes not from daily “how-tos” but from a deeper internal makeup of the leader. This makeup can be summarized in four traits.

The first is vision. Vision is more than seeing the final product. It is seeing the steps along the way that bring you to the final product. It is understanding the implications of decisions throughout the development. A key differentiator, a great leader will act upon a vision while a good leader will admire the vision without action. Until there is action and dedication to the completion, a vision is nothing more than a dream.

The second is instinctive intelligence. Instinctive intelligence is being able to know things, see things and act upon things with an understanding that cannot be taught in a textbook. This is related to vision in that great leaders are able to see the entire picture, understand the implications and make judgments based on instinctual knowledge. This trait, while fundamentally based in instinct that a leader is born with, can be developed over time through thoughtful learning from past decisions and a deeper understanding of the industry inner workings.

The third trait all great leaders posses is persistence. There will never be a great accomplishment that comes easily without resistance. Persistence comes in all forms and great leaders need to have it in every situation. Persistence is tied to the previous two traits in that, someone who does not see the overall vision will not be able to see past the immediate disruption. A good leader could by delayed unnecessarily by a roadblock that seems overwhelming. A great leader will see beyond the roadblock to their final product and will use their instinctive intelligence to find a way around.

The fourth trait in all great leaders is a passion and a drive to win. Full-hearted belief in the vision, refusal to be stopped by resistance and an emotional connection to the end product creates a powerful passion in great leaders that cannot be rivaled by others. The vision becomes an integral part of these great leaders. It becomes part of their identity and they defend it and work towards its success as though it was a living piece of them.

What other traits do you think make a great leader? What do you believe is your strongest trait as a great leader?

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Everyone has heard it before, “Do what you love.” The idea is if you are doing work you would do even if you didn’t get paid, you will be happier and more productive. They say when you set out to find work, you should look for something that you will enjoy because, after all, you’ll have to do it for at least five days and 40 hours a week.

However, identifying one job that encompasses what you love doing, then actually getting that job, may not be possible or practical. And unfortunately, we don’t all work at our dream job. So, how are we supposed to do what we love if our job of choice is not practical?

Instead, consider what you love on a broad scale. Is it teaching, writing, building, being with people, being outdoors, planning, creating or something else? Determine what is the foundation of your passion. This isn’t always an easy task. If you find it difficult to identify your passion, think about what makes you happy. Then break those things down until you find a common factor that represents what you really enjoy.

If this cannot be incorporated into your profession, find another way to express it through a hobby, an additional job, volunteering or a club. Expressing your passions through doing what you love, even part time, has a positive impact on your life overall. You will feel fulfilled, happy and less stressed. Doing what you love is good for your mental and physical health.

My passion is helping others. I am fortunate to be able to incorporate this into my profession everyday through the vision of Solavei as I, along with our members, work to positively impact millions of people’s lives. However, even outside of Solavei, I create ways to do what I love by pursuing philanthropic interests, including sitting on the board of Miss America, a foundation that makes a wonderful contribution to the education and leadership of women.

The objective is to continue to do what you love, even if it can only be part-time.

What do you love to do? Tweet to me @rwuerch!

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