Read almost any article, academic journal study, book, blog, interview, mission statement or manifesto about notable entrepreneurs, great leaders, or really anybody who has been extraordinarily successful at some venture, and the one characteristic that is nearly always cited as the element most critical to and defining of success is… PASSION.
That unquenchable, self renewing desire – a drive innate and instinctual -- for the mission, the purpose, an idea or endeavor. That which keeps us endlessly motivated and committed and guides us as we push through the obstacles, navigate the pivots and persevere even when failure appears to loom right there in front of us and success cannot be clearly sighted over the horizon. Passion is a concept that is intuitive for most people: it doesn’t really need to be defined to be understood nor diagnosed to know you have it. Though it has physical, physiological and psychological manifestations, it can’t be coached or exercised into you. And while not everyone has passion for every or even many things, there is scarcely a person who has not sustained it for something or someone, whether it is a life’s profession, a philanthropic cause or a hobby.
But aside from “passion,” there are other related words that come up again and again in the telling of the leader/entrepreneur mythos…descriptors such as brash, unabashed, brazen, bold, boastful, promotional, outspoken, daring, gutsy, ballsy, scrappy, cocky, kickass, swagger, bravado, mojo, cojones, chutzpah, charisma, splashy, disruptive, indomitable, impatient, iconoclast, rebel, renegade, fearless and even fiendish and maniacal. Many of these words can have pejorative connotations -- especially when they are attached to women in business -- but when applied to high profile leaders, such as CEOs and founders, for the most part they are terms of admiration, appreciation, accolade and aspiration.
This language suggests that in order to achieve, one needs to maintain a certain narrowness of focus and a blinders-on disregard for critics, as well as a certain disdain for details, process, rules, regularity and rationality. Moreover, it implies that brute force is the primary instrument of success, that the will and ability to succeed reside in some zone or organ other than the brain, and that the successful leader or innovator has to be in constant motion and needs to make a whole heck of a lot of...NOISE.
Indeed, focus, speed, endurance, confidence and, yes, perhaps even some overconfidence in one’s abilities and ideas are rewarded repeatedly. And sometimes, shouting above the criticisms of external naysayers as well as drowning out the doubting voices whispering within us are necessary to realize goals and win at business. As per that tree falling truism, if someone has passion but never appears or sounds impassioned, will that vision ever be heard well enough to inspire and be realized – or funded? And aligning with the “squeakiest wheel” paradigm, in my career years, I’ve certainly seen firsthand dozens of those who made the most noise or swung the heftiest bat get the biggest prizes (e.g. paychecks, promotions etc)…at least for some period of time.
But most of us understand that success – real, sustainable, satisfying, value creating accomplishment -- also requires the development and deployment of other more subtle skills and nuanced talents. It is as much or more about being self aware as it is about simply being self promoting. It is more about assessing the entire context and the full competitive landscape as it is about maintaining a singular focus. It is about taking in feedback, interpreting signals and making adjustments even more than it is about just pushing through. It is often about two-way communication, introspection and reflection, listening and learning, rather than speaking, boasting and cajoling.
Essential to implementing one’s passion in competitive, complex, ever changing markets are rigorous research, detailed analysis, conversion of data and information into knowledge and wisdom, disciplined decision making frameworks, wise resource allocation choices, well reasoned judgment, listening and observation, empathy and emotional intelligence, and intuition. In a sense, requisite to realizing vision is the ability to be still even while maintaining momentum. In sum, a central element of intense passion is…QUIET.
And this is the mission and expertise of AQP Consulting. We are dedicated to working with business and human capital leaders to help them build viable, sustainable, scalable, dynamic, diverse, value creating entities through intelligent deployment of financial capital and human capital management. We look to help businesses -at all stages of their lifecycle- design, evolve and implement essential business processes. We partner with leaders to develop the “quieter” arts of people management.
While some fear their passion will be squelched or silenced by thoughtful and deliberate process or too much structure, we work to support the passion and translate the vision into exceptional execution yielding tangible results and continuous improvement, and building lasting credibility with employees, customers and investors.
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