Passion Isn’t an Emotion in the Biz World

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Passion in business is entirely different from having emotions in business.

Say what?

When you walk through the office door at the workplace, all personal issues happening outside should be left there. Your number one concern is your organization, corporation or clients. If you can’t put them above yourself and what you’re thinking, than you’re wasting company time. Your personal issues can weigh on your team too – when you should be working together, checking on each other/helping, etc.

Emotions impair your judgement and make you say and do silly things. I hate to say it, but it’s also why men have an easier time running a corporation than a woman does. Many tend to rely on emotions to drive decisions, but you can’t do that.

Ask yourself: What’s best for the brand, not what’s best for me.

Instead, channel the passion you have for the industry and your brands into something positive. You don’t always know what will happen next, but you know what you believe in. That’s where the difference is. Passion is believing in your work and what your capable of. It’s waking up everyday knowing that you can make a difference with how you position the brand and loving what you do with it. You should be proud of your work.

I blogged over at MarketingProfs that your job isn’t just a job, it’s your career. That’s where the passion comes in. If you don’t believe in your work, how can you believe in the brand? Frankly, it’s not about you. Your passion and energy is going into that logo you constantly see everyday.

What do you think? Is it possible to have emotions in the workplace? Is there a difference – and if so, how? If not, why?

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mikeschaffer

I agree and I respectfully disagree. (Like how I did that?)

The basic argument here is to always think with your head and not your heart in business. Fundamentally, that is the correct mindset.

However, human beings are the ones making the decisions for a brand, and, like it or not, they bring a lifetime of biases and preconceived notions (and I don't mean that in a negative way whatsoever) about the rest of the world to the board room.

Emotions are powerful drivers of our actions and it is categorically impossible to make any decision without at least some impact from them.

However, I really like what Ryan said about passion being focused emotion. Take whatever is going on your world and focus it on your work!

It is also hard to ignore the fact that many successful business decisions were made wholly on emotion. That they worked out doesn't mean it was RIGHT, but we do have to acknowledge that fact.

Awesome topic!
laurenfernandez

Ha. Nice, Mike.

Isn't there a way to take that lifetime of bias away, though? I'm all for bringing emotions to your personal life, but is there really room for it in the board room?

I know emotions are powerful drivers, but not everyone is driven by feelings. I think the PR world experiences emotions much more often.
Ryan Knapp

The word 'passion' has a positive connotation. Hardworking, go for it all, don't stop till you succeed. 'Emotions' however has a negative connotation of being whiny, irritable, etc.

Passion is emotion, just focused.
laurenfernandez

A good point, Ry. Maybe some are able to balance emotions well and make passion an emotion. I like the thought that its an emotion, just focused. Is there a difference between positive and negative emotions? Sure, but I think the line gets blurred.

You've given me something to think about - and all before 9 a.m. :)
Ryan Knapp

Think about when people say you are passionate about something. I'm passionate about soccer. I'm a bit nuts about it, pretty obsessive, very emotional, etc. All things that could be considered 'negative' unless placed in this context of achieving a goal.

It is a balance though. If you get too obsessive, too emotional, that can be a burden and backfire. Finding that happy balance is best.

Glad I could give you something to think about.
cloverdew

Ryan, I like your idea that passion is focused emotion. I think, for me, the challenge comes in channeling the emotion into a driving force. Sometimes that's easy (when I've got lots of energy conducive to my work) and sometimes it's very hard (when my energy is focused on something like a personal loss or worry for friends/family who are having a rough time of it), but in the end, accomplishing something great in the workplace is only going to augment the great emotions I've already got or balance out the negative. And in that victory over the distracting negative emotions may also be the key to a creative solution to whatever the cause of the negative emotion may be. Focusing on the positives and channeling frustration, happiness, elation, or grief into a project is sometimes just what is needed.

It can't always be the case, but as I experience more and more in the workplace, it really can't hurt.
Ryan Knapp

You need to have a place to channel those emotions. If I was still at my job I disliked, channeling those emotions would have been a lost cause, but now I can channel my emotions into my own business, which I couldn't be more passionate about.

It's sports in general right? My dad died when I was 14, that day I played hockey and channeled all my emotion into my games, I don't think I've skated harder or shot faster in my life.

It's when those emotions spray out all over the place that it gets a bit messy.
cloverdew

You have a great point. It's much easier to channel emotions into passion when you have a job/career that you are dedicated to and enjoy. I find myself much more passionate, focused, motivated, and efficient when I'm working on something I support or have an attachment to. That hasn't always been true in past jobs, but in my current position, I have felt that my dedication to the mission is a great motivator.
laurenfernandez

I feel the exact same way, S - it's why I HAVE to leave my personal stuff at the door. If I stopped to think about everything going on, I couldn't focus as well as I should. However, having passion for my biz - I could channel that into something productive.
cloverdew

I completely agree. It's been hard for me because I'm a very passionate/emotional person in general, but the more I learn to channel that energy, the better off I am. It's not an easy thing to learn, but I work at it and am getting better at it all the time.

I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - Inattentive Type (otherwise known as Attention Deficit Disorder), so it's hard enough for me to concentrate. Learning how to focus thoughts in general is a challenge enough for me, if I let my emotions run wild, I don't think I'd ever get anything done. Haha. But, the more I can focus and the more I accomplish, the more motivated I am to push past everything else and move on to more challenging and exciting endeavors. ;)
laurenfernandez

I'm pretty sure if you substitute Packers with soccer, you're describing me.

You hit it on the nose about balance - if you can't do it, you're going to bury yourself.
Amy

It's not only possible to have emotions in the workplace, it's unavoidable. After all, we're human.

When I first started working a few years ago, it was my job to keep our status meetings on track and I would get annoyed when we veered to discussion about the client's new grandchild or how my boss's son's college applications were going. But in recent months, I've come to realize that that's the stuff of life and work. No one wants to work with an uptight PR animatron who lives only for "the brand." You want to work with people you actually enjoy, who care about you and vice versa. (This is true with journalists, too.)

Now, instead of seeing the side chatter as a distraction from the work at hand, I consider it the most important part (or at least worthy of five minutes at the beginning).
laurenfernandez

Hey Amy,

Thank you for your comment. I do, however, think there is a difference between positive personal things, and personal issues as I discussed above. If you're worried about your relationship or famly problems, or if you got in a fight with someone - your work WILL be affected.

In this business, it's not about us. It's always about the brand. It's not being an "uptight PR animatron" to put the brand first. That's what clients pay you for. You're not the rockstar, your brand is. Having that passion for it is going to get you a lot further than being distracted by issues.

You can ask anyone - I'm as personable as they come. I make my colleagues laugh on a daily basis and ask how they are doing. I do the same with my clients. I don't however, worry about things outside the office - I'm very much a "feelings" person, and I know it distracts your work.

I do work with people I enjoy - but I do think there is a balance.

Thanks for your thoughts!
Amy

It is all about the brand, but I also don't think we can check our human-ness at the door. I guess it could be a problem if it got out of hand, but I've never seen in action anyone who put themselves or their emotions before their work before, so I'm having a hard time imagining what that would look like.

I can't say that when I got engaged or when my grandfather died, I didn't get a bit emotional or distracted at work. But it was temporary and I was as passionate as ever about my clients, and effective in my work.

Your point about men doing business vs. women is probably a topic for a whole other post, but the fact that men tend to lead with less emotion and women with more, doesn't necessarily mean one is better, just different.

The Corner Office column in the NYT is a gold mine of business advice and insight. The most recent one with the COO of Qwest made me think of this:
http://tinyurl.com/y8zzxbz

"Q. Are there other ways your leadership style has evolved?

A. Well, I would say in the beginning I thought I had to keep work and home very separate. I thought that’s what you’re supposed to do, especially as a woman. You know, you don’t bring up your children and you don’t bring up the fact that you’re having these issues at home. I think young women think you have to be like a man to succeed...After a while, when I brought my personal life into the office, it was O.K. Turns out, other people have kids, too. And, turns out, other people have these issues. I felt more comfortable when I could intertwine them."
laurenfernandez

I really liked your comment, A. It's completely different than my line of thinking when I wrote this post, but other opinions make you think, learn and grow.

I think you're right about men v. women mentality. It's more of what I've observed - I know MANY successful women execs, but I also know many that are content to not climb the corporate ladder. The men I know are more willing to do so, as opposed to the fewer women. Maybe it's emotions, maybe its just having a life outside the office. I have no idea.

What a great article too - thanks for sharing.
Amy

Agreed that many women don't have ambitions of reaching the C-suite for various reasons. Hmmm...something to ponder...

I just started reading your blog and saw that you're a Dallas girl too. Very cool!