[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/09\/19\/passion-vs-purpose-whats-better-for-business\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/09\/19\/passion-vs-purpose-whats-better-for-business\/","headline":"Passion vs purpose: What’s better for business?","name":"Passion vs purpose: What’s better for business?","description":"Explore the difference and between passion and purpose at work and why companies should shift their focus to drive better business performance.","datePublished":"2022-09-19","dateModified":"2023-03-23","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/leslie-taege\/#Person","name":"Leslie Taege","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/leslie-taege\/","identifier":670,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d2102275441383e7229184d149a3c80482e2553108341c960b87eb0df252612d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d2102275441383e7229184d149a3c80482e2553108341c960b87eb0df252612d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Passion-vs-purpose_FTRy.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Passion-vs-purpose_FTRy.jpg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/09\/19\/passion-vs-purpose-whats-better-for-business\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/customer-experience\/","name":"Customer Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Customer_experience","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q984142"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/customer-experience\/employee-engagement\/","name":"Employee Engagement","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Employee_engagement","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q14937678"]},"Employee Experience & Engagement","HXM: Human Experience Management","HXM: Human Experience Management"],"wordCount":933,"keywords":["Employee Development","Employee Experience","Future of Human Resources","Human Resources","Talent Management"],"articleBody":"Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, it\u2019s almost impossible to avoid hearing what everyone around you is passionate about. It\u2019s a tech and startup haven, where people can\u2019t seem to stop talking about the passion that drives them in their work.Don\u2019t get me wrong, not long ago I was part of that cohort. I was passionate about what I was doing, and I was more than happy to talk about it. But now I’m thinking about passion vs purpose and how it’s time to shift our focus.      The Great Regret: Workers second-guess joining the Great Resignation                Many workers who quit during last year's Great Resignation are now feeling the Great Regret. Learn ways to overcome regret and move on.      Deconstructing passion vs purposePassion seems to drive decision-making for many people, which is why I was struck by a passage from Ryan Holiday\u2019s “Ego is The Enemy“:\u201cWe\u2019re often assured that passion, in the sense of unbridled enthusiasm, our willingness to pounce on what\u2019s in front of us with the full measure of our zeal, is our most important asset. What I think usually gets lost there is that passion typically masks a weakness, in the sense that its breathlessness and franticness are poor substitutes for discipline, for mastery, for purpose and perseverance.\u201d Passion as a weakness? That hit a nerve. Passion is what shows that I care about what I\u2019m doing. It\u2019s what drives me, right? He continues:\u201cAnd to be clear, I am not talking about \u2018caring\u2019. But what we need is purpose\u2026 Purpose, you could say, is like passion with boundaries. Passion is \u2018about\u2019. (I am so passionate about\u2019 ___.) Purpose is \u2018to\u2019 and \u2018for\u2019. (I must do ___. I was put here to accomplish ___. I am willing to endure ___ for the sake of this.) Actually, purpose de-emphasises the \u2018I\u2019. Purpose is about pursuing something outside yourself.\u201dIn an age where companies are looking for passionate employees, and burnout is at an all-time high, it may be a welcome relief for passion to take a backseat vs purpose in the hiring process.Passion is a flash in the pan. It\u2019s energizing and magnetic, and seems to encapsulate the dedication and commitment hiring managers seek. But passion isn\u2019t sustainable.      How to recruit + retain top talent: Put people and their experiences first                From how we engage and draw candidates to our open roles to providing a positive candidate and interview experience, we must consistently work toward building stronger connections and relationships with candidates.      Passion is a fire: it blazes, and burns outWhat are you passionate about? It\u2019s a question I\u2019ve encountered both as an interviewee, and an interviewer. And having sat in the interviewer\u2019s chair, I can confirm that yes, there is a \u201cright\u201d answer hiring managers look for.For instance, we wanted candidates to have interests outside of work, but we really wanted them to demonstrate their passion for the work we did. We wanted to know they were ready to board this bullet train, and that we wouldn\u2019t have to spend too much time getting them up-to-speed. We wanted them to show they cared about our mission \u2013 through their words, actions, even activism, but on their time.Passion is an unspoken promise that says, \u201cI care about this personally, so I will go above and beyond.\u201d And it\u2019s so alluring when you\u2019re hiring. But passion is wild and unwieldy. It\u2019s fiery and energetic. It\u2019s out of control.In fact, passion is, by definition, \u201ca strong and barely controllable emotion.\u201d Yikes. I don\u2019t know about you, but that\u2019s not what the energy I want driving business decisions.I want calm and measured. I want evidence-based data. And I bet your company\u2019s bottom line does, too.And, like any fire, passion can burn out. Fast. I\u2019ve seen so many people lose their passion at work \u2013 myself included. Harvard researcher and professor Jon Jachimowicz\u2019s research simplifies the passion conundrum by prompting critical questions: Where do you find meaning? How can you leave an impact? What gives you purpose?By focusing on what you care about, passion becomes secondary.This content is hosted by a third party ( player.simplecast.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowInstead of passion, hire for purpose\u201cPurpose,\u201d Holiday says, \u201cis like passion with boundaries.\u201dHonestly, this got me. Whereas passion is erratic, pure energy; purpose is consistent. It\u2019s grounding. It\u2019s the reason behind the work \u2013 the why. In contrast, passion is self-focused (\u201cI am passionate about\u2026\u201d), purpose is larger than the self (\u201cI am here to do\u2026\u201d).Purpose is, by definition, \u201cthe reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.\u201dAnd reason, rather than pure emotion, is a much steadier framework for business performance.So when your next interview candidate sits across from you (or more likely, on your computer screen) and says they\u2019re passionate, dig deeper. Why are they passionate? More importantly, how are they harnessing that passion? Can they connect their passion to a bigger, more sustainable purpose?Everyone wants enthusiastic employees who are excited to solve problems and make a difference. Ask your candidates about purpose. Find their why.When a candidate can identify their purpose, they – and you – are in a much better position to succeed in the long term.  HR, better.Employees, happier.Businesses, healthier.It’s time to modernize the employee experience."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2022","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"09","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/\/09\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"19","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/\/09\/\/19\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Passion vs purpose: What’s better for business?","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/09\/19\/passion-vs-purpose-whats-better-for-business\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]