"Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music" - Angela Monet

I've been thinking a lot about the critical role that passion plays in creativity and innovation.  Yesterday, I was reading a cool article in the latest Reader's Digest about two guys who started their own business called "College Hunks Hauling Junk" that specializes in exactly what it describes.  Within the article, one the founders, Nick Friedman was asked the following question,

    "Q. Readers Digest: Any regrets?"
    "A. Nick Friedman: No. I felt like I was stuck in a rat race at the consulting company. There was just too much time in the workday. Now that Omar and I have our own business, there isn't enough time in the day to do everything we want to do.

Did you catch that?  He went from feeling there were too many hours in the day to not enough.  That is passion!  When you lose track of what time it is and everything else around you, you are pursing your passion.  And it is these moments of passion that produce unique ideas and innovations.  This the mental state in which problems are most efficiently solved. 

Many of us are not fortunate enough to have combined our personal passions into our careers.  In fact, some of our career choices have limited our passion.  Have you ever felt:

• Content
• Apathetic
• Inconsistent
• Ineffective
• Have low morale, self-esteem, motivation, etc.

These are all passion-limiting symptoms. 

On the flip-side, have you ever felt:

• Energized
• Restless
• Frustrated
• Angry
• Driven

These are all passion-enhancing attributes.

Leverage these passion-seeking behaviors by incorporating them into your organizational problem solving and innovation processes.  Seek out new ways of doing things.  Stop doing things that no longer add value to your customers.  Find out what your customer's passions are.  Find out what your employee's passions are.

Speaking of whom, here are some helpful signs that one of your employees has caught the passion "bug":

• They look forward to coming to work
• They feel energized by what they do individually and by what you do as a company
• They feel their contribution is respected and appreciated
• They are proud when describing the work they do to their peers, friends and family
• They enjoy and respect the people they work with and for
• They are optimistic about their own future and the future of your company
• They are not afraid to share their opinions, ideas and criticisms

Find these people within your company.  They are there...usually early and late.  They do not hesitate to bring work home.  They are the one's who are not afraid to speak up at meetings, especially leadership meetings.  Find these people and support them.  Support them directly or get an idea champion to work with them.  Feed their passion and you will feel your own passion rekindled.

So...do you have too many hours in the day?  Or not enough?