I believe that if you are passionate about your work, then work is not work. It is more of a challenge as to how you can improve on yourself from the last performance. What else can be done to delight my client? It is fun and exciting to discover new and interesting ways of delivering my service. And I have found that in my teaching career. I have evolved over the years while trying to find out newer pedagogy or new material that can be used in the classroom. And I am sure many teachers/trainers will resonate with what I am saying.

I have been fortunate enough to be in love with my work. If you are a leader and want your employees to be in love with their work, maybe this will help you.

Let me share a few things that caught my attention while reading Simon Sinek’s book on START WITH WHY (Penguin Publication, 2009).

We should do business with people who believe in what we believe; this leads to trust. The WHY is a belief, the HOWs are the actions taken to realise that belief and WHATs are the results of those actions. When all three are in balance, trust is built and value is perceived. A company comprise of people who have a common set of values and beliefs, right from the CEO to the lower most staff. Simon suggests that we don’t hire for the skill that we need but hire people who believe in what we believe. Sounds difficult I guess…

Great companies hire motivated people and inspire them. Companies with a strong sense of WHY are able to inspire their employees. These employees are more productive and innovative. When people inside the company know WHY they come to work, then people outside the company are more likely to understand WHY the company is special.

The role of a leader is not to come up with great ideas; instead her role is to create an environment in which great ideas can happen. If employees are constantly reminded WHY the company was founded and told to always look for ways to bring that cause to life while performing their job, then they will do more than their job.

A great leader understands that earning the trust of an organization doesn’t come from setting out to impress everyone. It comes from setting out to serve those who serve her. It is the invisible trust that gives a leader the following they need to get things done.

When employees in the organization can trust that others in the system are acting ‘to leave the organization in a better place than the present’, it creates passion. This passion comes from feeling that you are a part of something you believe in, something bigger than yourself.

My passion comes from my belief that I am here to serve my students in such a manner that they will be able to face the world with renewed confidence. And to do that I am willing to stretch myself. The invisible trust that I have built up over the years allows me to get things done. And the basis is the WHY I am in the teaching profession…. It is my Ikigai.

This is being taken forward in my new avatar as a Life Coach. I am here to serve clients in a manner that they too are able to face the world with renewed confidence. It is my extended Ikigai.