Focus or Passion – for Business Success?

I recently read a business book where the author indicated that at an international seminar participants overwhelming indicated that the reason for their success in business is attributable to being focused.  I immediately thought that they are wrong and that it should rather be to have passion, and then started debating the two concepts of success in my own mind. Soon I realized that the major difference between focus and passion is that focus can be learnt, drilled into a person, be enforced through practices but passion is a gift – a gift normally portrayed by leaders. To drill focus into people can be artificial but passionate people are naturally focused.

What is the ideal then for our business - a passionate leader that would naturally be focused! Yes, we have them in our business and they are the achievers and highflyers and they are easy to be motivated to stay focused and to apply focused rules.  

One must be careful not to lose the passionate leaders or have declined passion – when do you lose them or is passion declining? When there are no more challenges, when the leader is neglected, when he is not stimulated anymore but most importantly when he reaches his sell by date – then focus normally drop and there is no intention to focus anymore.  Forced focus is a dangerous business principle if it could rather have been achieved naturally through passion. 

Stimulation is possibly the best treatment for a “sell by date” or declined passion – do we stimulate our leaders enough, do we know what stimulate our leaders and do we know what “makes our leaders tick” – those things that would make our leaders excel and give them renewed energy - restructuring, additional training, keeping to our promises, renewed open and honest communication, new products or services, added responsibility,  a new adventure, new business ventures, recognition – these are amongst others drivers to “dust off the leader who is about to lose passion” that would give meaning and interest to him. 

Let us rethink our passion and focus attitudes in business – who is passionate, who is focused, how do we maintain passion and how do we increase focus?