Passion fruit-cakes

Let’s get one thing straight to begin with. The Villain is a passionate man.

Ask me about my partner, my children, my football team or what makes an admirable Bloody Mary, and I’ll spew all the passion on earth into your lugholes.

But ask me about ‘passion’ as an organisational value, and I’ll laugh in your face.

That supposed value ‘passion’ is an affront to everything I hold dear in Human Resources (and life generally, now I come to think of it). No organisation should allow it within a million miles of its values framework.

Many (most?) do, though. Google the words ‘passion value’ and the system chucks up links to otherwise respectable firms such as Kellogg, L’Oreal, Illy, Adidas, Mercedes-Benz, Bain and Jet Blue. In fact, I bet you the organization you’re working for now has it somewhere in its hierarchy of corporate waffle, sticking out like a dog poo on a plate of otherwise serviceable canapés.

In a small percentage of cases, it’s probably appropriate. Maybe a taster for Illy needs to be passionate about coffee: perhaps a designer for Mercedes needs a passion for functional design.

But show me a man who is genuinely passionate about the valve market, or a woman who’s febrile love of payroll knows no bounds, and I’ll show you a pair of idiots.

Tricksy issues

I wince when I deliver values-based interviews and have to ask for examples of passion. (‘Tell me about a time when you demonstrated your passion for risk analysis and/or customer relationship management,’ I once had to ask someone, and in shame immediately left the interview to shoot myself.)

Do you really want someone passionate about the enterprise? Or would you rather have someone decent, engaged, responsible and hard-working who appreciates the benefit of the product or service but isn’t so insane that they go home and paste pictures of it on their bedroom wall?

I’d go for the second. And so would you, if you told yourself the truth.

You know why ‘passion’ is such a popular ‘value’? Because we think if we get passionate people then we don’t need to bother with tricksy issues such as engagement and reward.

Get someone ‘passionate about customer service’ and you don’t need to train ‘em, motivate ‘em, consult with ‘em – or for that matter, manage ‘em much. You just wind ‘em up and let – ‘em go.

Or so the theory goes. In reality, it’s not that simple.

So let’s dump that terrible word and work on changing all the bad habits the word disguises.

Yes, look for passion in lovers and fellow band-members. But look for decent well-adjusted people for the business – then roll up your sleeves and get to work.

About the author

The Villain

The Villain is not here to be nice.