Passion and the Leader

Let's Not Let Talent Run Us Over

Children make us see the world differently. In my case, my daughters, among many things, led me to discover the world of princesses: Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, Jasmine, and so on. Over time, I became almost an expert on the subject, and under so much pressure, it became a goal of mine to take my young daughters to the place where all these fantasy characters came to life, Disney World.

My daughters were barely five years old when we arrived at this magical place, full of mystique and fantasy. A truly fascinating experience. But what really remained etched in my memory was that moment when we entered the main street leading to the Disney castle. Once we stopped in front of it, my daughters' faces imprinted themselves in my mind. They couldn't speak from joy; I think they felt they had touched the sun with their hands. The emotion was overwhelming. We were really in front of the princesses' castle, no matter which one; that was the castle.

Disney World is fascinating, a magical, different place that takes you to an imaginary world. But the most impressive thing is that Walt Disney, its creator, was fired from his job at a newspaper when he was 22 years old because he "lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”. Even so, Disney moved forward, created Mickey Mouse, and the rest is history.

But what makes a person persist until they manage to create something so extraordinary, despite setbacks? I am convinced that passion is the engine that drives us to achieve things that we sometimes think are unattainable. That combination between what we like and what we do well provides us with the self-motivation to do it again and again without faltering, until we perfect it. It doesn't matter if we are criticized, if we fail, if things don't turn out as we thought; passion leaders are capable of overcoming almost anything.

During my university studies, I developed a passion for marketing. It was not the main discipline in my engineering career, but for some reason, it became one of the engines that drove me to want to achieve great things. This led me to a process of self-study. I read every book there was on the subject and wanted to learn everything. Upon graduating, I applied for several marketing positions: intern, assistant, analyst, etc. Whatever it was, I wasn't interested in the position, the compensation, the sector, or the company; I just wanted to work in my passion: marketing. I was rejected about ten times from all the positions I applied for due to lack of experience, something that made no sense for a recent graduate. After some time, I was called for a sales position, and I decided to take it because I liked the company and thought that by getting in there, I could later move to a marketing position. After a few months of working, I repeated my goal of working in marketing to my boss every week; however, it never happened. After a while of insisting without success, I decided to do a specialization in marketing, thinking that perhaps with this "certification," I would finally get to work in my passion. I dedicated myself to studying the subject and obtained one of the best averages in the entire specialization. Moreover, I confirmed that the previous self-learning process had been effective. I finally had my opportunity in marketing. I was a product manager in several companies, and from there, I reached the marketing management and commercial direction. In 1997, working as a Product Manager, I received global recognition for my marketing strategy for one of the products I managed, a reward given due to much effort.

One of our functions and responsibilities as leaders is to truly recognize the talent of people, understand what they are passionate about, and find a way for them to work on it. When we manage to do this, the chances of success multiply exponentially. A professor in my specialization said that 50% of a business's success lies in the product. When it truly satisfies a need, you have half the victory; the rest consists of your knowledge of the client and/or consumer and your strategy to reach them effectively. I believe

This applies in our everyday life as well. When you have your passion clear, you have a 50% chance of success; the rest depends on whether you can align it with your purpose and take action.

In one of his famous TED Talks, Sir Ken Robinson mentions that he had a conversation with Paul McCartney, who told him that he didn't like music in school and that his teacher never saw any special ability in him for this subject. Furthermore, in the same class was George Harrison, who was also not recognized for any musical talent. This story seems incredible to me: 50% of the Beatles in the same room, perhaps the greatest group of musical artists in all of history, and no one detected their potential at that moment in space and time.

We will never be infallible, but as leaders, we have the responsibility to help discover the passions of the people who form part of our teams. When we do, they will be able to reach their maximum potential and achieve extraordinary results. But, most importantly, we will be able to leave a mark that transcends beyond professional life and transforms their lives holistically.