6 Characteristics of Passionate Employees

Are there people who do not have a passion for anything? Is passion an essential ingredient for a successful employee? Should our employees bring the passion, or is it up to us to create it?

 What passion looks like

Passionate employees are hard to describe, but we know them when we see them – though that doesn’t mean they all look and act alike. Here are six common characteristics of passionate employees:

1. Bring their best self to work
2. Possess a desire to continuously improve
3. Focus on the opportunities instead of the obstacles
4. Aren’t easily discouraged
5. Optimistic
6. Driven to do their best

 Passion killers

Anyone can kill the passion, but it’s hard to even get passion off the ground if the leader doesn’t go first in creating it. Common passion killers include:

1. Sarcasm and negativity
2. Dwelling on the obstacles
3. Constantly changing the focus/goals/direction
4. Micromanaging
5. Unresolved conflict
6. Poor communication

 Passion creators

So, how can we create passion? Here are six tips each of us can live out.

1. Build trust with your teammates. When the people you lead (or work alongside) know you trust them, they are freed up to do their best work.
2. Be positive.
3. Encourage those around you.
4. Share your vision and your excitement behind it. Make sure every teammate knows how they play into working toward the big picture for the long-term.
5. Create fun in your work.
6. Act your way into feeling. Don’t let your feelings dictate your attitude and your actions.

Creating passion at work is everyone’s responsibility, but the leader sets the tone for the team. Make being passionate a habit, and it’s likely that soon your teammates will follow suit.