Volume 26/number 28 June 10/17, 2013
by Lisbeth Calandrino
I am helping a well-known public figure from the Bronx write a book about his life. He has already written one book but somehow he feels it’s not complete.
“Why not write about what made you successful?” I asked. “Because,” he said, “I never thought about being successful or building a business. I was just doing what was right. I knew there was a problem to be solved, and I wanted to solve it. The rest just happened. I never thought I would build a company with 500 employees.”
Two years ago I met Gary Hirshberg, the self-proclaimed “CE-YO” of Stonyfield Farm Yogurt who wrote a book titled, Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World. Gary was on a tour of New York State and was discussing why he became what he calls an “eco-entrepreneur.” He said, “Because it matters and there was a situation that needed fixing and I was passionate about it.”
I have had the fortune of knowing many successful people, both in and out of the flooring industry. My experience leads me to believe they all share a common trait: passion.
Making money is an important part of business; just ask Gordon Bethune, the man who turned around Continental Airlines in the ’90s. Passion to do the right thing is what fuels leaders and encourages their employees to follow them to the ends of the earth. Not all leaders have world good in mind, but they certainly have passion.
So what is passion? Passion is a feeling; it may have little to do with logic. It’s a ‘wanting’ to do something or make something happen.
Children are passionate. Everything is new; they can be excited about a butterfly. As we get older, it’s more difficult to energize this passion. But there are some people who are passionate about everything—they are born that way.
Want to stay passionate? Look at the world in a different way. Find something different about things you take for granted. Ask yourself, “What is the unique quality about them that I’ve forgotten?”
Can you apply this to your business? Why did you go into business? What made it so wonderful?
How about your relationships? What have you forgotten about them? Why did you fall in love in the first place?
My sister had a unique way of looking at the world. She honestly looked at everything as an opportunity, a way for her to learn something new or teach someone else. She never went to college but there was no doubt she could have run any major company.
Her passion pushed her to learn what she needed to know. I remember when she was 19 she hired a CPA to help her learn how to read and understand a profit and loss statement. She had not made her first sale yet, but she knew she was going to be successful—it was her passion.
Whatever you do, keep your passion. Find things that excite you, meet new people and enjoy your life. Passion is everywhere around you.