PASSIONATE LEADERSHIP

The following passage is yet another pearl from John Maxwell. This comes from his outstanding book "Leadership Gold."

Passion is an incredible asset for any person, but especially for leaders. It keeps up going when others quit. It become contagious and influences other to follow us. It pushes us through the toughest of times and gives us energy we did not know we possessed. If fuels us in ways that the following assets can't:

Talent...is never enough to enable us to reach our potential. To be a successful leader -- to be a successful person -- you need more than just talent.

Opportunity...will never get us to the top by itself. As my friend Howard Hendricks says, "Don't put live eggs under dead chickens." That's what opportunities are to people without passion.

Knowledge...can be a great asset, but it won't make us "all we can be." I possess three college degrees including a doctorate, but I believe they have contributed very little to my success as a leader.

A great team...can fall short. It's true that leaders cannot be successful without a good team. But having a good team does not guarantee success.

What does a leader need to succeed? Passion. Passion is a real difference maker. It separates the extraordinary for the ordinary. I recognize that passion has enable me to do the following:

●Believe things I would not have believed

●Feel things I would not have felt

●Attempt things I would not have attempted

●Accomplish things I would not have accomplished

●Meet people I would not have met

●Motivate people I would not have motivated

●Lead people I would not have led

CEO Jack Welch says, "The world will belong to passionate, driven leaders...people who not only have enormous amounts of energy, but who can energize those whom they lead." In all my years of observing people, I have yet to meet an individual who reached his potential but didn't possess passion.