The Passion Plan at Work: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Passion-Driven Organization

Rating:
Summary: How "Passion-Driven" Is Your Organization?
Review: In the Foreword, Frederick W. Smith (chairman and CEO of FedEx) suggests that "Successful leaders of the future will have to tap into the tremendous potential passion offers them. In fact, despite the advances in both physical networks and information networks, that drive the high-tech and high-speed New Economy, successful leaders must invest in a third and vital network -- a passionate people network that sparks the ideas and innovation for lasting success." In his previous work (The Passion Plan), Chang offers a step-by-step process by which an individual can discover, develop, and live the passion to which Smith refers. In this volume, Chang shifts his attention to what Smith characterizes as a "passionate people network", explaining how each and every person involved in an organization "has the potential to strengthen and improve performance. And when passion is involved the possibility that the changes will spread increases exponentially." Human history is filled with countless examples of passionate people who inspired others to join then in achieving seemingly impossible goals. In today's business world, according to Collins and Porras In Built to Last, they could be called Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs). Point is, without a passionate commitment by those involved, achieving lasting and significant change is highly unlikely.

Chang organizes his material within ten chapters whose titles correctly indicate the step-by-step process:

Why Passion Works in Organizations: A Timely Source for Timely Change

Putting the Passion Plan to Work: A Model for Organizational Success

Step One: Start from the Heart -- Passion as the Foundation of the Organization's Success

Step Two: Discover Core Passions -- Uncovering the Forces That Will Drive the Organization's Success

Step Three: Clarify Purpose -- Channeling the Organization's Passion Toward a Specific Goal

Step Four: Define Actions -- Planning for Passion-Inspired Change and Growth

Step Five: Perform with Passion -- Translating Passion into Performance in the Workplace and Marketplace

Step Six: Spread Excitement -- Sparking Commitment and Enthusiasm in Employees, Partners, and Customers

Step Seven: Stay the Course -- Keeping the Organization Centered on Passion

Realizing Profit: Moving on to Bigger and Better Things

Chang then includes an excellent resource, "Profiled Organizations", which consists of Web sites of various "superior organizations" which range from Ben & Jerry's to Wainwright Industries. I rate this book so highly because its coverage of material is eloquent, practical, comprehensive, and cohesive. It remains for each organization (regardless of its size or nature) to select, combine, modify, and then apply Chang's key ideas. Those who share my admiration of this book are urged to check out the aforementioned Built to Last as well as Real Change Leaders (Katzenbach and the RCL Team) and The Irresistible Growth Enterprise (Mitchell, Coles & Kahn). Chang invites feedback from his readers which can be directed to www.thepassionplan.com.