Dig deep and find what you are passionate about

EARLIER this week, on my monthly radio show on BFM89.9, I was asked to describe the traits of a passionate employee.

It is pretty straightforward. Passionate employees show a desire for continuous improvement, focus on opportunities rather than obstacles, are driven, have persistence and are always optimistic.

I find that most people I coach understand that having these traits indicate that they are passionate about their work.

The problem many face is not in working out how passion manifests itself. The real struggle is in discovering what they are passionate about.

Years ago, I met a high school student called Selvakumar Subramaniam. I really took to him, as he was a charming and engaging young man.

He was a clever lad who got a scholarship to attend the Royal Military College. He then went off to university, got a degree in biomedical sciences and began working in the pharmaceuticals industry.

A few years passed and we had occasion to meet. As we caught up, it seemed that even though he had been working and building a career in his chosen profession, he was dissatisfied with his working life.

I encouraged him to experiment with something else that perhaps would give him greater satisfaction. We discussed some ideas, and he felt he could explore the idea of corporate training and consulting.

At that time, I was also looking to expand my team, so I was in a position to offer him a job.

Usually, I spend quite some effort discerning whether a new hire is fit for purpose. But, since I’d known him since he was a teenager, and I had an idea of how talented he was, I offered him the job instantly.

Enthusiastically, he joined my team as a training consultant. I set about working on getting him up to speed. And, he started well by contributing some ideas for expanding my work.

Personally, I really enjoyed having him on board. But soon, the initial enthusiasm waned, and I noticed that he was not performing at optimal levels.

Regularly, we would talk about how to increase his effectiveness in my company. Each time we had a conversation, he’d agree to some changes, and for a week or so, there’d be an increase in productivity. But it never lasted. And, he always looked unhappy at work.

What made him happy was music and salsa dancing. He’d be up till the wee hours of the morning dancing somewhere, and would turn up to work the next day after only three or four hours of sleep, and be totally unproductive at work.

After some time, I figured out that while he was a really capable person, he just did not have the passion for the work that I did, and the engagements that our clients hired us for. And, it showed in his work. He did not show the same passion that he had for music and dance.

I asked him to consider music as a career option. He was a welltrained and skilled musician, and he had developed a passion for Latin American dance.

He said while he was certainly more interested in music, he did not feel that it would be a suitable long-term career option. He was just happy to dabble with it on a part-time basis.

Not long after, we parted company as we both felt his position in my company had become untenable. But we remained friends.

Once in a while, we’d have a chat, and each time I would remind him about his passion for music. He’d always quip that his part-time job was more empowering than his day-time profession.

After a few more disengaged experiments with full-time employment, Selvakumar finally decided to cast his fears aside and focus on his passion.

I am proud to share that today, he’s popularly known as DJ Selva, one of the most sought-after Afro-Latin DJs and emcees in Asia. He is regularly invited to share his music at some of the biggest festivals in the region.

I recently chatted with him and it’s apparent that his vocation brings him tremendous personal and financial satisfaction. He thanked me and said he only wished he’d taken my advice and done it earlier.

If you want to find your passion, ask yourself two important questions.

What would you do, even if you didn’t get paid? What would you spend your time doing if you had complete financial freedom to do anything?

This is the starting-point for your quest to find your passion.

For DJ Selva, I know he’d spend night after night dancing and being a DJ, even if he didn’t get paid for it.

So, what’s your passion?

If you want to find your passion, ask yourself two important questions. What would you do, even if you didn’t get paid? What would you spend your time doing if you had complete financial freedom to do anything?

The writer is managing consultant and executive leadership coach at EQTD Consulting. He is also the author of the national bestseller “So, You Want To Get Promoted?”