Passion and motivation

Philip Broughton, in Ahead of the Curve, goes on an enjoyable rant about our current obession about:

Why was it then that every speaker who came to Harvard Business School demanded we be "passionate" about our work? ...[Perhaps] the word passion was just another form of corporate coercion. It was no longer enough simply to do a job that you found okay for a reasonable financial reward. You had to say you were passionate about your work even if you found the work meaningless and unsatisfying. And then, of course, if it was your passion, why wouldn't you want to stay in he office until late at night and all weekend long? Didn't you say it was your passion?

...[Another] explanation was that businesses used the word passion because it reflected what they wanted their employees to feel. Work at its best should be about passion, not just drudgery. A few lucky souls might feel genuine passion for their work, but companies used the word so freely, I sensed, because it set a loftier goal for their activities than mere profits. To be in the business of business was not enough. You had to be about something bigger. [Emphasis his.]

"Passionate" is just the modern lexicon for "self-motivated". After everyone figured out that they should put "self-motivated" on their resumes, similar to how everyone puts "good communication skills", the verbal bar had to be raised to separate the herd again.

Having employees with motivation solves a lot of problems. If you can hire self-motivated people, then the company needs fewer managers, and the managers look better.

However, I maintain that motivation equally comes from the managers and the company as much as it does from the individual.

If you've got unmotivated employees, it may not be the hiring practices that need re-working. Motivating employees is one of the most difficult and central tasks that a manager does.