It's time to reframe the way we look at work and look at it through the lens of creativity. Because if we are trying to help motivate our employees, once we realize that much of our work is about creativity, passion becomes much more important. The most creative artists are deeply passionate about their craft. And the most successful employees are usually those who have a similar passion for their work.

Employees who are passionate about their work have transformed from a bunch of people trying to get through a to-do list to more productive, creative and happier professionals. This, in turn, leads to a better product, happier customers and more sales.

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Start by leading with passion

Company culture comes from the top, so it's really important to hire leaders who openly display their passion and role in their day-to-day work. Managers who are enthusiastic, communicate transparently and actively engage and support them team ideas it will help them understand the true value of their work and how it is helping end users. This can then inspire a similar passion throughout the organization.

When team members see genuine passion in their management, they feel more connected to their work and motivated to contribute their best. Passion is contagious.

How to bring passion to the workplace

Steve Jobs once said that the only way to do great things is to love what you do. That's all well and good, but as leaders, it's up to us to create a work environment where people have the space to love what they do, and therefore do their best work. But how can you motivate your team and inspire passion? This is the million dollar question. Here are three methods I use to bring passion to the workplace:

1. Focus on passion from day one:

When onboarding new employees, don't just tell them about your products and services. Immerse them in your company culture. They cannot feel passionate about what they are doing unless they feel a deep connection to the organization, its goals, and how their role will make an impact. Bully them. Inspire them. Make sure they fully understand what is expected of them and how they fit into the big picture.

2. Connect everyone to the bigger picture:

from being transparent in relation to the company's business goals and information sharing, you connect your employees to the bigger picture. Your ultimate goal should be to make them feel that they are an integral part of achieving the company's goals, which will empower them to do their best work. They should easily understand the steps they need to take to achieve their objectives and should not waste unnecessary energy on trivial tasks.

3. Put the right person in the right job and set the right expectations:

Employees who are professionally fit for the job assigned to them are naturally more passionate about what they are doing. While it seems obvious to assign projects to people with the right skill set, a lack of resources or a failure to deeply understand the task can lead to a mismatch—and that's a great way to kill passion and increase frustration . On the other hand, when projects are built around motivated individuals, with realistic and agreed expectations, the sky is the limit.

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Why does it matter?

Passionate employees have a direct positive impact on the success of a business. Engaged employees have a positive influence on everyone around them. Two teams with the same skill set can have completely different results, driven by their level of energy and enthusiasm.

The data bears this out. A big one Gallup study involving over one million employees found that the most engaged teams can outperform the least engaged teams by over 20%. A special one study by Deloitte found a direct link between passion for work and better innovation and customer satisfaction.

This also extends outside of work. In the teams I work with, there are people who make music, record podcasts, write blogs; others who love to hike, surf and climb. We use these personal passions to recharge and enter our work with renewed energy.

But even more than that – when people have time to develop their personal projects, it enriches their creativity by encouraging them to think differently than they would in their day job. It opens their minds to the new ideas and approaches they bring to work, helping them take on their tasks with a more creative and passionate mindset.

So, cultivating passion in the workplace results in employees who work harder to find solutions to challenging problems and deliver better results. On the other hand, I believe that passionate employees lead to passionate customers. Your team's passion shows in marketing materials, is felt in interactions with sales and support teams, and delivers a better product. As I said before, passion is contagious, and great experiences with your brand will turn your customers into passionate advocates on your behalf.

Giving to your employees the freedom to think outside the box, implement innovative initiatives and find creative solutions to problems, you are nurturing their passion for your business. When they see their ideas turn into action and have a real impact, their passion and creativity will only grow. And your customers will feel the difference.

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