Earlier this week, on my monthly radio show on BFM89.9, I was asked to describe the traits of a passionate employee.
It is pretty straightforward. Passionate employees show a desire for continuous improvement; they focus on opportunities rather than obstacles; they are driven; have persistence; and are always optimistic.
I find that most people I coach understand that having these traits indicate that that they are passionate about their work.
The problem many face is not in working out how passion manifests itself.
The real struggle most people have is in discovering what they are actually passionate about.
Years ago, I met a high school kid called Selvakumar Subramaniam. I really took him as he was a charming and engaging young man.
He was a clever lad who got a scholarship to the Royal Military College. He then went off to university, got a degree in biomedical sciences, and started working in the pharmaceutical industry.
Because of our work and such, we didn’t see much of each other, except for the occasional phone call.
A few years passed and we had occasion to meet. As we caught up, it seemed that even though he had been working and building a career in his chosen profession, he was dissatisfied with his work-life.
I encouraged him to experiment with something else that perhaps would give him greater satisfaction. We discussed some ideas, and he felt he could explore the idea of corporate training and consulting.
At that time, I was also looking to expand my team, so I was in a position to offer him a job.
Usually, I spend quite some effort on discerning whether a new hire is fit for purpose. But since I’d known him from the time he was a teenager, and I had an idea of how talented he was, I offered him the job instantly.
Enthusiastically, he joined my team as a training consultant. I set about working on getting him up to speed on his role. And, he started well by contributing some ideas for expanding my work.
Personally, I really enjoyed having him on board. But soon, the initial enthusiasm waned, and I noticed that he was not performing at optimal levels.
Regularly, we would talk about how to increase his effectiveness in my company. Each time we had a conversation about this, he’d agree to some changes, and for a week or so, there’d be an increase in productivity.
But it never lasted. And, he always looked unhappy at work.
What did make him happy was music, and salsa dancing. He’d be up till the wee hours of the morning dancing somewhere, and would turn up to work the next day after only 3 or 4 hours of sleep, and be totally unproductive at work.
This would annoy the life out me.
After some time, I figured out that while he was a really capable person, he just did not have the passion for the work that I did, and the engagements that our clients hired us for. And, it showed in his work product.
At least, not the same passion that he had for music and dancing.
I asked him to consider music as a career option. He was a well-trained and skilled musician. And, he had developed a passion for Latin American dance.
He replied that while he was certainly more interested in music, he did not feel that it would be a suitable long term career option. He was just happy to dabble with it, on a part-time basis.
Not long after, we parted company as we both felt his position in my company became untenable.
But, we remained friends.
Once in a while, we’d have a chat, and each time I would remind him about his passion for music. He’d always quip that his part-time, night job was far more empowering than his day-time profession.
After a few more disengaged experiments with full-time employment, Selva finally decided to cast his fears aside, and focus on his passion.
I am proud to share that today, he’s popularly known as DJ Selva, one of the most sought after Afro-Latin DJs and Emcees in Asia. He is regularly invited to share his music at some of the biggest festivals and congresses around the region.
He plies his trade in events locally as well as in many different countries including Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, India, East Timor & Japan.
I recently chatted with him and it’s apparent that his vocation brings him tremendous personal and financial satisfaction. He thanked me and said he only wished he’d taken my advice, and done it earlier.
If you want to find your passion, ask yourself two important questions.
What would you do, even if you didn’t get paid? And, what would you spend your time doing, if you had complete financial freedom to do anything?
This is the starting-point for your quest to find your passion.
For DJ Selva, I know he’d spend night after night dancing and being a DJ, even if he didn’t get paid for it.
So, what’s your passion?
Shankar R. Santhiram is managing consultant and executive leadership coach at EQTD Consulting. He is also the author of the national bestseller “So, You Want To Get Promoted?”