Published on | Prototyping: From UX to Front End — Medium Melissa Rosenthal

Could too much of a good thing be getting in your way?

As a coach I’ve had many opportunities to talk with clients about success and what it means for them. Often our conversation quickly turns to passion — or perhaps more specifically, the lack of it in their current situation. “I want to be passionate about what I do” is a very common sentiment in these discussions. There is a sense of yearning that underpins the conversation.

I have a confession to make. I always thought this was the “right” conversation to have with someone considering a change. And that passion should, wherever possible, be a hygiene factor for the change.

A recent conversation with a much respected mentor made me wonder…

“Could passion be a barrier to success?”

Keiser and Kaplan’s article “Don’t let your strengths become your weaknesses” from the Harvard Business Review talks about the idea that any strength overplayed risks becoming a weakness. Considered in that light, I suggest there are some risks associated with being “too passionate”.

1. Bias

People who are passionate about something tend to invest time and effort building their knowledge on the topic. Sport is a classic example. I’ll bet you know someone who can quote all kinds of statistics about their favourite team or player. Inevitably with the knowledge comes a perspective on the future, for example which team will win the trophy next year. It also has the potential to limit your willingness to pursue opportunities because you’ve already decided what the outcome will be.

Let’s think about that in a work context for a minute. You’re a leader. You’re deeply passionate about your industry and your organisation. Your passion stops you from pursuing a wonderful opportunity for growth. And you may never even be aware it happened!

2. Blindspots

“Love is blind”. Is it a cliche? Sure is. Doesn’t mean there isn’t some truth to it. Those heady, exciting days of new love…you just can’t see fault in your partner. It’s not that they are perfect — but they sure seem to be.

It’s the same when you fall in love with an idea. You may have been agonizing over a problem for weeks and all of a sudden what seems to be THE solution comes into view. You’ve looked at it from all angles (or so you think…). No matter what anyone says, you’re sure it’s right.

But what if you’re wrong?

3. Micromanaging

Let me play back a scenario I hear quite often….

You’re not a “detail person”. You’re known for being the conceptual, strategic thinker on the team. You’re leading a series of projects that are going to change the way organisation x does business. And you love it. You’re working around the clock and you wouldn’t have it any other way. You find yourself happily immersed in all the nitty, gritty details of each project. But all of a sudden people aren’t responding to your leadership they way they used to. But you don’t know why…

Does that sound like anyone you know?

From the outside it’s easy to see how passion can produce unintended behaviours — and undermine the people who (ideally) share your passion. Delving into the detail not only disenfranchises your team, it takes you away from your responsibilities at the same time.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that passion is a bad idea per se. Rather that it is important to measure and understand the impact that your passion might be having on your leadership — and specifically on your decision making. Take time to reflect and ensure that your passion is driving (not blocking) your success.

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The problem with passion was originally published in Prototyping: From UX to Front End on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The problem with passion

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