Passion

I have a few ‘go to’ people who have said meaningful quotes that have just stuck with me. Jesus, John Wooden, Pope Francis, Mother Teresa, Steve Jobs, Steven Covey, Simon Sinek, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and Yoda (“Do or do not. There is no try”). Helen Keller is one more of those individuals. This following statement is from a 1932 Easter message she made to the Boston Community Church:

"When we complain of having to do the same thing over and over, let us remember that God does not send new trees, strange flowers and different grasses every year. When the spring winds blow, they blow in the same way. In the same places, the same dear blossoms lift up the same sweet faces, yet they never weary us. When it rains, it rains as it always has. Even so, would the same tasks which fill our daily lives put on new meanings if we wrought them in the spirit of renewal from within--a spirit of growth and beauty."

Somehow quotes just help me put things of life into perspective. One can take a hodgepodge of thoughts and sum them into one statement that is so meaningful to me.

As a leader, I often thought about momentum and direction. I wanted my teams to be filled with optimism, possibility thinking and passion. The most successful leaders and team members seemed to have passion for what they were doing and why they were doing it. These individuals made a difference outside of themselves to help others.

In my family, I have loved ones that truly care about the plight of refugee children and families. Others are advocates for children in schools and in the community. Some want to help families get and stay out of debt. Others have an immense feeling to help the less fortunate. I am proud of my wife and each of my children and their spouses. They have passion, they have love and they want to make a difference.

As the new year starts, if you are a leader, I encourage you to help your teams and families focus on their passions. Each one is just as important as the next. There is no right answer when it comes to passion. I have witnessed that when you let one person educate the rest about their passion that it is like the wind blowing snow or leaves. The pile starts off small and as more people ‘catch’ the vision or passion then the piles (accomplishments) accumulate. Great things seem to follow. Differences are made. Lives become better.

I recall team members having passion to make blankets for our special-needs children in our pediatric home care company. Another associate wanted to place wreaths on veterans’ graves. We had caregivers making caps for our hospice patients that had endured chemo and radiation. We helped to pay for medical equipment and EZ lift chairs that patients could not afford. Some team members petitioned our foundation to pay for funerals for our police and military veterans. And there was our Thanksgiving Tree program (my passion) that fed over 100,000 people on Thanksgiving over the years. Our goal was to try to eliminate hunger and give people some hope for at least one day per year.

We tried to encourage each and everyone’s passions. We let the wind blow the spirit wherever it wanted to go. Great things seemed to follow.

Thanks for reading this.

With a goal to “help the next one in line”, Glen Cavallo, a 30+ year healthcare executive has chosen to share the many lessons he has learned with others. Glen does this by serving as a coach/advisor to leaders at all levels of organizations, as a board member and as he presents inspirational speeches at regional, national, annual and awards meetings.