Passion Matters
February 7, 2012 4 Comments
When I think of Angela Maiers, I think of one word. Passion.
She’s a passionate educator. A passionate blogger. And, this Tuesday night (Feb 7th) on LeadershipChat, Angela will be talking about a core passion of hers. #YouMatter.
Simply put, YouMatter is Angela’s summary of a conviction deep in her DNA – that a sense of significance is central to our well-being and growth.
Since it’s really not possible to replicate Angela’s passion in a second-hand blog post, I’d urge you to watch this video – or if you can’t afford the 20 minutes to watch, listen to it in the background as you (try to) do other things.
There’s a lot to chew on here for leaders and aspiring leaders. The thing is, people will forgive a lot of mistakes. But if they don’t sense that they are valued contributors, they’ll find greener pastures elsewhere (see my co-host Lisa Petrilli‘s perspective here!). I’ve been in settings where YouDon’tMatter. Should have packed up and left more quickly than I did!
LeadershipChat is a weekly Twitter discussion where smart minds come to share and learn – and this week, we are honored to have our first corporate sponsor. The fine folks who authored the new book Have a Nice Conflict (Tim Scudder, Michael Patterson and Kent Mitchell) will be joining us at Leadership Chat this week and next as chat sponors! They’ve written a very interesting road map for better understanding and navigating conflict, and for using this knowledge to be a more effective and successful leader. Check it out and buy your copy.
Also, be sure to follow LeadershipChat on Facebook!
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Good Morning Steve –
Thanks for the post – two things that struck me in your post.
The first one may not really be relevant to the topic, (and I completely agree with your assessment of Angela and her work – she is passionate and she is a strong leader)
The first one is your statement: “Since it’s really not possible to replicate Angela’s passion in a second-hand blog post, I’d urge you to watch this video – or if you can’t afford the 20 minutes to watch, listen to it in the background as you (try to) do other things.” I couldn’t help but laugh to myself at this statement – not because it is funny, but because you are right about replicating someone’s passion (especially Angela’s) in a second hand blog post. It is hard to relay the feelings and thoughts of someone else in 500 words or less – especially when it comes down to passion for a specific subject matter.
The other part is where you state “if you can’t afford 20 minutes to listen to Angela speak, than listen to it in the background as you do other things.” I often find myself doing that and I have made it my resolution to be present in the moment, and not multi task myself to death and lose the meaning of what I am trying to learn or experience. Being present in the moment goes along way in my book for learning and leading.
The other statement that struck me was your statement about “The thing is, people will forgive a lot of mistakes. But if they don’t sense that they are valued contributors, they’ll find greener pastures elsewhere (see my co-host Lisa Petrilli‘s perspective here!). I’ve been in settings where YouDon’tMatter. Should have packed up and left more quickly than I did!” You are right on Steve with this position. Once people feel that they Don’t Matter, especially when you ask for their opinion or have an “open door” policy, you will lose them. Don’t say it, if you can’t follow it.
Thanks Steve for your insight.
SPGonz
Thanks, Steve. I hope you can join us tonight for the chat – it should be lively!!
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