Lately, I’ve been thinking about “passion,” what drives people and what leads them to be successful. Everyone says that you must do something that you care deeply about, otherwise there’s no chance in being happy. Does that translate to success? I think there’s more to that equation, and it typically involves hard work, perseverance, and attention to results. The last of which I find to be the most important piece.
Lightbulb.
This past weekend I was in DC for work and leisure, and I had the pleasure of meeting a director of a local DC organization whom I found to be incredibly driven and passionate about public health and policy. When he spoke of his passion, it was evident that this man will do wonders to change the world. He has a vision, purpose, and a dozen letters that come after his name. But, regardless of that, his vision drives him to get down and dirty and work hard at achieving his goals.
It’s awe inspiring when I have the privilege to talk to people about their passions. I know that when individuals follow their hearts, and when I hear that they back that up with pure unadulterated hard work and dedication to driving results AND holding themselves accountable to their mission, that they ultimately achieve their goals.
Technology.
What I also gained from this conversation was that I tend to think of things in terms of problem solving. When a system is broken, whether the way patient care is managed, how that information is stored, how that leads to policy issues, late and inaccurate data reporting, and healthcare overload.
Thinking about how technology can be used is innate within me. The way patient care is accomplished, and how a broken system can be restored has to happen with technology. Patients are really clients and clients are managed with CRM software–but how well do hospitals understand CRM? Which interactions do they log? How do they follow up and track progress?
I was excited that my training and background can someday enable me to help out in an area that my new friend was so passionate about. I will someday be working on engagements that will allow me to influence these very real, and serious issues affecting the private and public sector, and that is exhilarating to me.
My major lesson learned was that having a vision, having a purpose, and being results oriented will allow one person to change the world.
My passion.
Deep down, I know what I am passionate about. I know what I am interested in, but I don’t think I’ve ever fully written down, in list form, what drives me. What is it that I want to accomplish? And how do I plan to get there? What in my professional life makes me happy, and how can I use this passion to accomplish great things for the companies I want to consult with?
- I am driven by technology. More specifically, I am driven by “Green Tech” because that is the future of business.
- I am driven by innovation, through process or machine.
- I am driven by sustainability. Investing now, will save time and money for cities, states, nations, and global enterprises.
- I am driven by ingenuity and problem solving. I thrive in fast paced environments that are dynamic and challenging.
- I am driven by delivering on results, and setting and exceeding ambitious goals.
- And I am ultimately passionate about people. Diverse people with incredible ideas and stories. People that want to change the world.
And this means?
I believe that technology is an important strategic level goal that most companies need to invest in. I believe that even at a local DC health organization, technology plays a major role in quality of care, and these tenants are scalable from fortune 100 to start ups. Technology allows the management of information, and we are in an age where information is key to where we want to go next as a civilization. The future of this industry is in the proper implementation of systems that will support and drive enterprises to the next level.
Green tech and sustainability are key to the future of business. It makes sense to have tech policies in place that can ensure high rates of return, and cost reductions. An eWeek article recently stated “This may be a bit surprising to some corporate executives: IBM figures that for every dollar saved in energy drawn from the wall, a company saves $6 to $8 in operational costs as a result.”
How do you save energy? You implement technology that can modernize the lighting systems. You recover heat from huge data centers to help heat and cool entire complexes. You look to innovation to change business processes and ensure adequate focus is on future change. You solve complex problems, and tackle exceptional issues with smart people, and you hold yourself and your team accountable to delivering results.
The company today will not last in a marketplace of tomorrow. And the thought of being involved in solving those problems within the private sector, well, that drives me also.
