John Murphy: Leading with Passion

Here's a blog post with an excerpt from John Murphy's latest book, Leading with Passion. John is an author, speaker, and management consultant. He has trained thousands of "change agents", helping them to create positive change.

Please enjoy this short excerpt!

People have debated for many years about the single most important characteristic or "ingredient" for leadership. These discussions tend to go on and on with interesting inputs but no resolution. The same endless debate might take place if we were to ask what the single, most important factor for chocolate cake is. Clearly, there is an argument for chocolate. There is also a good argument for eggs, flour, sugar, water and an assortment of other factors, including oven temperature and time in the oven. In fact, if any essential ingredient is missing or out of balance, the cake is vulnerable. It isn't everything it could be.

Effective, passionate leadership requires many things. In this book, we cover ten essentials. Combine these key factors and we have a means to inspire millions of people all over the world. These essentials transcend culture, race, gender, age, ethnicity and industry. They are a combination of ingredients that give leaders worldwide a means to bringing out the very best in people. Use them to tap the extraordinary power and passion available to you:

Start with purpose to make sure you are doing what needs to be done.

Add a compelling vision to give people something clear and meaningful to focus on.

Mix purpose and vision with heart to bind with determination, courage and conviction.

Add a healthy amount of attention to be present and aware of the now.

Blend with integrity to build trust and demonstrate authenticity.

Bake with discipline to perform at optimal levels and be accountable for results.

Cover with generosity so that everyone gets a share.

Serve with credibility so that it tastes as sweet as it is.

Give thanks with grace for the abundance we have.

Enjoy with spirit and feed the soul.

What are the ingredients for successful leadership? How can you become a passionate, effective leader? What does it really take to inspire others?