The Downside of Passion

A colleague of mine recently saw a bit of social research that reported people's perceptions of behaviors that deserve firing. One that stood out for me was that the respondents felt that managers who displayed emotions too strongly and displayed excessive histrionics (especially profanity) in the workplace should be fired. This gave me pause.

I am a passionate person in many ways. One of the things about which I am very passionate is my work. Another is my relationships. I hold strong feelings about both and upon reflection I must admit that there have been times in my past when I have earned the firing that these folks want for such managers. I have managed to generally avoid the profanity, but I have been loud and judgmental and have felt out of control at times. These were clearly moments when I was not being good to myself and the end results of such behavior are not often good. While it is incredibly difficult to change fundamental beliefs about things, it is possible and incumbent upon us all to manage our expressions of belief. I have learned to manage the passion by making sure that I focus in on the value-adding aspects of my work and the loving processes in my relationships.

In this age of much discussion about the critical role of emotional intelligence, this is an important change to make. I suggest that everyone take a hard look at their expressions of passion and put a sock in it when it is not value-adding for the work. I include in this passion about things like politics, religion, and personal issues that tend to swamp us emotionally. If you can't manage your passion at work by re-directing its energy, at least take some time off and deal with yourself appropriately. It will help everyone have a better work experience.