Do you love what you do? If so, let it show.

We have all seen a team with low ability that prepares and performs with great passion defeat a team with much greater individual talent who plays without passion.

Sometimes the only difference between success and failure is energy.  Energy starts at the top.  Some coaches just contain a personal make up that contains deeper feeling and personal fire.  Coaches who have and can share a passion for their sport, for their team, for the profession of coaching and for life, give everyone around them hope and a daily boost of energy.  Successful organizations and teams often are a direct reflection of the personal passion of the leader.   Passion by itself is not enough but it is a great start.   It must be combined with the other traits of successful coaches like knowledge, philosophy, mental toughness and the other traits we have written about in previous newsletters.

It isn’t enough to have passion; you must be able to sustain it and share it.  The best coaches spread their passion by example.   They don’t have bad days.  They model the work habits, sense of urgency, focus and spirit they want their teams to emulate.  Even the most routine tasks get their best effort because they understand that it is the execution of the small details that separates the good from the great.  The passion of the leader provides motivation and determination to stay the course when things aren’t going well.

Passionate coaches love being there and they have and can create a sense of urgency with the sheer energy they bring to mission.  It is not a “job”.  They have a low tolerance for being “OK”.  Being average is never their goal so they are willing to do more, believe more and motivate more than the normal person.  Getting an average effort from their teams is never acceptable.  Great coaches have the ability to get every ounce of attention and energy from their athletes and the athletes love it.  Hard work, discipline, concentration, effort, focus and attention to detail are all choices that championship teams make.  Their players are not “too cool” to be sincerely enthusiastic.  And if they are ever in doubt of what passion and energy look like, all they have to do is watch their leader.

Shared passion leads to the good kind of pride on teams – shared joy.  This kind of pride is never felt by undisciplined, selfish or casual teams who prepare carelessly and without passion.

If you have a passion for what you do, let it show – don’t hide it and don’t apologize for it.

Be passionate in your pursuit of excellence and be careful when working with people who are not.