Passion Plan for Leaders! Date:   Wednesday , January 04, 2012 In this very first issue for the New Year 2012, I would like to touch upon a very dear subject in the domain of managing our people. This has got to do with harnessing the passion for what they do at work. Most published literature on managing talent is excessively focused on how to harness the intellect people bring to work as if that is all is needed to deliver the best value to our organizations and our customers. The reality is that the talent equation is larger than just the intellect. I would actually suggest that the equation be understood as Talent = Intellect x Passion. It is not intellect plus passion, but actually intellect times passion. And this implies that when passion is absent, the intellect is of little use. Addressing a team of 100 plus leaders working for a Bangalore-based subsidiary of an MNC, I asked a question: where do they think they are on a 1 to 10 scale to measure their emotional-connect with their people. And as expected, the leaders came out honest saying it is no more than a 5 or 6 out of 10. And for the same question on their rational-connect, the response was again on the expected lines – a score of 7 or 8 out of a high of 10. Rational-connect & Emotional-connect: This is not surprising at all, for most of us as managers have been schooled into relating rationally with other people. And this is absolutely critical and all the more in organizations. However, the power of emotions and more specifically the power of passion is often underestimated my most of us. Emotional-connect can lift the performance of our people to distinctly higher levels of productivity, team work and customer delight. And people will also see meaning in what they do. Emotional connect is a strength rather than a weakness as many managers often tend to think. Gary Hamel, speaking on the need for management innovation has this to say in his book, “The Future of Management”: “management innovation changes the way managers do what they do, and does so in a way that enhances organizational performance.” He also goes on to summarize, “ if you want to capture the economic high ground in the creative economy, you need employees who are more than acquiescent, attentive, and astute – they must also be zestful, zany and zealous.” And it is my view that employees do not turn out to be zestful, zany and zealous unless we as managers learn to harness the passion of our people. In reality what happens is this! Our employees do carry the whole package to workplace – their intellect and passion.” But what happens as they reach our parking lot is worth watching. As they park their scooters and cars, something sad happens… many of them perhaps also park their passion along and come in! Let us not forget that today’s workforce expect nothing short of meaning, purpose and autonomy at work. And when they do not experience any of this, their passion flags out and parks out. And without passion coming into the cubicles, what we do get is a good work that they can deliver without feeling guilty. Hierarchy of Human capabilities: Human capabilities can be recognized in an easy framework as below: It is a no brainer that excellence at work is a function of moving our employee motivation and capabilities from willing obedience to the pinnacle of performance characterized by the gift of creativity. This is possible only when we as managers focus on harnessing the passion that people are filled up with. This requires often times also a mindset change from all of us as managers. And that is not necessarily easy. Look at what Dr Hamel has to say again: “asking a manager to manage less is a bit like asking a carpenter to pound fewer nails! Yet the oversight, the rigid plans, the comprehensive assessments, the strict policies, the mandatory procedures- in short, the whole “father-knows-the-best” premise of management – is antithetical to building companies that are filled with energetic, slightly rebellious, votaries!” Passion Plan for leaders: Let us remember that our employees are not complaining ever that they are under-managed. If at all, their only complaint is that they are under-led! And to lead people, it is important to establish the emotional connect. Emotional connect requires a different set of competencies, and mindset on the part of managers. We will some of these distinct competencies and attributes in the future issues. So, just in case we are wondering what can possibly be our New Year resolution, here is a strong suggestion: “we will connect with our people at an emotional level and bring their passion fully to what they do at work!” And Happy New Year! The author is Executive Vice President & Chief People Officer, Symphony Services Corporation. He can be reached at mahalingam.c@symphonysv.com