Finding Your Passion

The following is derived from one of the great business books of all time, Good to Great by Jim Collins and his team of researchers. They wanted to find out what drove great businesses to greatness. Get the book. It is a wonderful and relatively easy read.

I have taken the messages and transformed them into a process for any professional, since we are all our own business, to use to become great.

About what are you deeply passionate?
At what can you be best in the world?
What drives your economic engine?

The First of These is Passion:
The first step in creating your own Great business is to find what you are passionate about. No one can become an expert in anything they are not passionate about. One will never engate in the level of discipline necessary unless you love what you are doing.

A recreational or hobby passion is good to have and be aware of, but what you really have to work on is finding what in a business sense you are passionate about.

Passion is not based on money. The question is not, "How can I get rich?" We will get to that, but that is not this question.

As you do what you do, see what others do and explore on your own, what absolutely turns you on? What would you do if you could only do one thing every day?

This can be a job but more often these are tasks or functions. Things you like to do, not a job you like. The process will get to the latter.

At UHY Advisors FLVS, one thing we do is provide services for attorneys prosecuting some form of litigation. Our services range from pre-litigation strategy, to eDiscovery, investigation, forensics to damages analysis and expert testimony.
Let's say you are in this firm and your answer is:
"I love to discuss complex things with people. I could do that all day long. I have even considered trying to have my own talk show on the radio."
Why?
"Because I love to delve deeply into a subject and really get to the roots."
Why?
"Well I am interested in things and I always believe there is more to the story than meets the eye."
Why?
"I just do not trust anything I read unless I verify it for myself."
Why?
"People are selfish and greedy. Everything they say or write has their personal agenda behind it, but I know I can get down to the real, bald truth."

Well as we look at this we start to realize that this person is really cut out to be a forensic investigator and probably an expert witness as well. They will love the digging and research through the piles of data to find the real untained facts that prove the ultimate truth. But in the end they really will need to tell someone about it and debate the issues. Just gathering the data will probably not be enough.

"Well, I don't have a passion, well except for scuba diving. I work so I can scuba dive all night long and all weekend."
Why scuba diving?
"Because it is so calm and peaceful and there is a whole world down there that few know about."
Why?
"Because they can't see it so they just pollute it, and over fish it, and ruin the reefs and fish and crustacean habitat."
Why?
"People don't care about things they don't see. These areas need protection."

Well looking at this we can see how we have uncovered that there is a passion about scuba diving because there is a passion about marine life. There are laws protecting marine life. There are attorneys who are engaged in stopping companies from harming marine life. There are companies who do not realize they are harming marine life. Perhaps that passionate scuba diver can find a niche where she can work to protect the world she loves so much?

Find your passion first. Get deep into it. Once you do the "whys" adjust the questions a bit to "What" questions as well. Have someone go through this process with you. You may want to do it twice, once with someone who knows you well and at least one other time with someone who does not know you well. A person who knows you well may have some unique insights, but they are also likely to add color based on their own opinions of you, good or bad.

This is your future. Find your real passion. Do not necessarily define it in terms of a job yet. Define it in terms of things you love to do. Tasks and functions you would do every day if you could.

You have to be best in the world at something to drive your economic engine in the professional services arena and you will never be best in the world at anything you are not passionate about.

Good luck.





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