Passion, People
and Principles
This column is excerpted from David Maister’s latest book: Strategy and
the Fat Smoker, which was released by The Spangle Press in January.
By David Maister
Passion
Passion—which reveals itself as drive and determination—
is the hallmark of all successful individuals and businesses.
Only where an (almost inexplicable) desire exists to
achieve something new will people and institutions find
the discipline to resist the short-term temptations to deviate from their chosen path.
This passion may be innate in some individuals. Others
will require skilled, effective managers to elicit and channel their energy and enthusiasm. Since no organization is
likely to be built on naturally self-sustaining dynamos
alone, skilled managers acting like coaches are an essential requirement for success. Creating and channeling
energy is the predominant if not sole requirement in what
distinguishes a great manager from a barely competent one,
and possessing (or developing) such managers is what creates super-successful organizations.
Sustained passion is a scarce, fragile phenomenon. It
can be compromised by success itself (why try so hard when
so much has been accomplished?), by variably enforced
standards (why try so hard if others in the organization do
not?), or by cynicism (why try so hard when we don’t really
care about what we do or those for whom we do it?)
Management
For individuals and organizations to
succeed—to get done what they know they should be
doing—they need to possess three things: passion, a sincere interest in and understanding of people, and clearly
perceived and credible principles.
logical, emotional, political, social or sociological skills.
However, the conclusion is, I believe, even stronger than
that. I believe that it is only when we truly care (for those
we serve, for those we work with) that we find the self-discipline to stay with the program. Caring for those we deal
with is not only the outcome—the differentiation that gives
us our success—but it is also the means.
Principles
The third ingredient that helps people and organizations
execute their strategies and achieve their goals is a sincere
belief in a set of principles. People who are acting on principle are much more likely to get done what they say they
will do than will those who are doing those things solely in
pursuit of future rewards. They will be less distracted by
(real and powerful) off-strategy temptations.
Perhaps more importantly, men and women who act on
principles and are believed to be acting on clearly visible,
deeply held principles, attract customers, subordinates and
colleagues. Whether people know your principles and trust
you is a major determinant of how they are going to respond
to you. If I understand and trust your ideology, and have
confidence that you will live by it, then we can build one
Smart
People
No matter what you want in life, what you want to
obtain—riches, fame, respect, the chance to work on
exciting things, loyal and supportive employees, collaborating colleagues, even friendship and love—comes from
other people. Success, no matter how you define it, is
attainable only by persuading another person—a boss, a
client, a colleague, a subordinate, a friend or loved one—
to give you what you want.
Understanding people—one by one, not in the mass—
and how they react to you, is not an optional skill. It is
essential. That doesn’t make it easy. Most of us received
training for—and the development of—our logical, rational
and analytical skills. But few of us have been substantially
helped in the development of our interpersonal, psycho-
“Whether people know your principals
and trust you is a major determinant of
how they are going to respond to you.
type of working relationship. Conversely, if I cannot”
understand you or do not trust you to live by a clear set of principles, then we may have a transaction, but not a relationship.
Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad? Or Is It?
Do you really need all three of the elements: passion, people
skills and principles? I’m convinced that in life, careers and
business you do require all three. Is any one of these elements
more important than another? No. As my wife, Kathy, the
founder of www.startcooking.com points out, the most important ingredient in any recipe is the one you forgot to put in.
David Maister is one of the industry’s leading authorities on the
management of professional services firms. He can be reached at
david@davidmaister.com. Please e-mail your story comments to
consultingmag@kennedyinfo.com.
