Can You Be Too Passionate?
From the Voices on Project Management Blog
by Cameron McGaughy,
Lynda Bourne, Kevin Korterud, Conrado Morlan, Peter Tarhanidis, Mario Trentim, Jen Skrabak, David Wakeman, Wanda Curlee, Christian Bisson, Yasmina Khelifi, Sree Rao, Soma Bhattacharya, Emily Luijbregts, Lenka Pincot, cyndee miller, Jorge Martin Valdes Garciatorres, Marat Oyvetsky, Ramiro Rodrigues
Voices on Project Management offers insights, tips, advice and personal stories from project managers in different regions and industries. The goal is to get you thinking, and spark a discussion. So, if you read something that you agree with--or even disagree with--leave a comment.
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By Yasmina Khelifi, PMP, PMI-ACP, PMI_PBA
You have probably worked with passionate project leaders who talk enthusiastically, smile or laugh loudly. Maybe their contagious energy inspired you.
But perhaps, sometimes, it was too much—even counterproductive.
As a project leader and a passionate person myself, I want to share some thoughts and advice.
Passion can help your team…and exhaust it at the same time. As a passionate project leader, you remain motivated to find solutions, help people, and share knowledge. Your passion is also communicative and can inspire others and motivate them.
However, passion can become a double-edged sword for you—and your team. I have experienced this issue myself. I was in a hurry to onboard people, giving them loads of details, sending multiple documents, and repeating things by email. For some of the team members, it became stressful because I had forgotten that sometimes, people need space. Some people felt hurt because I insisted too much on helping them.
When I am passionate about a topic, I talk quicker, louder and with more energy. At times, I noticed a few colleagues physically moving back in face-to-face meetings. I wondered why, until I worked with a coach, and she told me: "It's great to have passion and energy, but it can exhaust some of your team members. You need to adapt your energy to the audience."
It was a wake-up call. I learned to regulate my natural energy and pace of speech. Other project leaders I worked with were so passionate that they could not take a break or disconnect from work, which again was a burden for their teams.
The worst thing was that they were so passionate that they expected others to be the same and follow their rhythm. “There’s a meeting during a bank holiday? No problem; I’m available.” And if others didn’t do so, they were judged less passionate and less dedicated.
According to research, passion influences your perception of yourself and others. It can make you overconfident in planning, budgeting, or in your own abilities.
For example, I had to prepare a project presentation. I was very satisfied with it. But when I rehearsed in front of a friend, an expert in presentations, his feedback was different. And fortunately, thanks to his feedback, I improved it significantly.
Passion can also affect how you perceive others: You may be overconfident in the skills of a colleague because you appreciate them so much.
We need passion in projects, but in a balanced way. Listen to feedback and observe nonverbal cues to adjust your passion for the team. Just because people outwardly express less passion than you doesn't mean they are less dedicated or motivated.
Gather feedback from trusted colleagues or friends regularly so you can maintain an honest view of the projects and abilities of yourself and your team without being blinded by the fire of passion.
What are your experiences with passion—for you and your team?
Posted
by
Yasmina Khelifi
on: January 17, 2025 12:11 PM |
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Comments (11)
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Such a relevant topic right now. Thank you for shedding light on it.
Thank you for shedding blog
I can relate. As a founder and project manager, my passion sometimes took over. I’d fire off emails at all hours, forgetting my team needed time to process and disconnect. I knew not everyone thrives on constant updates, but it was tough to slow down.
Practicing mindfulness did help. Now, I pause before sending another email to check in with how I’m feeling and how my team might be feeling.
Tammy Bennett
Sr. Program Manager| SMTC
Melbourne, Fl, United States
I do relate to being too passionate sometimes and it does keep me from understanding others point of view sometimes in that moment. I hope I am getting better....at 52 years old....I still am a work in progress.
I have team members who are opposite, meaning there lack of passion is interpreted as a don't care attitude. I know they do and I remind them that we balance each other and have a great team because of it.
Tammy Bennett
Sr. Program Manager| SMTC
Melbourne, Fl, United States
I do relate to being too passionate sometimes and it does keep me from understanding others point of view sometimes in that moment. I hope I am getting better....at 52 years old....I still am a work in progress.
I have team members who are opposite, meaning there lack of passion is interpreted as a don't care attitude. I know they do and I remind them that we balance each other and have a great team because of it.
Very interesting thanks for sharing
Good read.
Thank you for sharing!
Kwiyuh Michael Wepngong
Community Champion
Financial Management Specialist | US Peace Corps
Yaounde, Centre, Cameroon
Finding the balance will be the deal breaker!..
Thanks Yasmina
Great article! I completely agree that passion is essential in projects, but it’s all about finding the right balance. Passion, and how we express it, can vary greatly across cultures, which influences how it's perceived.
Great topic and message. Finding the balance to ebb and flow within various communication formats can be challenging. Thank you!
wael ahmed
project manager| Red Sea Consultant
asyut, AST, Egypt
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