To keep up with the development and growth of the leaders I train, I hold an annual session to evaluate their managerial achievements, in which both they and the people they lead participate.
Last year, I heard a very interesting comment from one of the employees: “Sometimes it’s great that the boss is so passionate about work, but most of the time it’s stressful and tiring.”
Until now, I had never considered the possibility of a leader putting too much passion into his work. After this comment, I took the time to think about the emotional and dedicated leaders I have worked with. I found that all of them have several trends that can lead to problems at work
They can be too stressful
As I learned from the comment of the above-mentioned employee, enthusiastic leaders can stress others without even realizing it. Their passion can be a burden to people who work hard to maintain their pace of work and energy levels.
They can over-emphasize small things
Leaders who put a lot of passion into their work tend to make everything a high-priority task, creating a sense of urgency, urgency, and significance when they don’t need it. Ultimately, this creates a chaotic work environment, because as we well know, “when everything is a priority, nothing is a priority.” People need to clearly distinguish important tasks from less important ones.
They can make the easy complicated
Passion can create complexity where it does not exist, complicating activities that need to be simple. People do not need additional difficulties.
They can be too intense in their behavior
It is important for employees to feel comfortable and safe when in the company of their manager. The intensity of the behavior of enthusiastic leaders sometimes goes beyond normal and becomes a behavior that can be disturbing and even frightening.
They do not always accept change
Good leaders are flexible and adaptable. They know how to adapt to change when needed. However, passion can make a leader stubborn and stubborn, which creates obstacles to the introduction of new solutions against the background of changing conditions.
They can be biased
Leaders must approach everything with an open mind. They must be able to listen to others and learn from them. Sometimes excessive passion creates in the leader great security in his own right, which prevents him from accepting points of view other than his own.
The good news is that one can be a passionate leader without straining your employees and complicating their work. The secret is ingenuity. To be an effective leader, you need to be able to count on people and understand their problems, needs and dreams.
When the passion for leadership is focused on creating a one-sided perspective and a limited worldview, it can lead you astray. However, if you use it in the name of serving others and the vision of the organization, it can be a source of immense power.
