What drives you to be a successful businessperson? For some, it's very simple - money. Their measure is highly measurable; make money, a lot of money, and demonstrate to everyone else that your intelligence, prescience and even luck, is just a bit better than that of everyone else. For others, it's about freedom - starting and running a business because YOU want to be the boss and you think you can do it better than anyone else.
There are certainly the roots of success in both of these mindframes. A businessperson is right to want to be financially successful and should have great confidence in his/her capabilities. But there's a component to business success that transcends any other motivation, and that is passion. A business owner, and even a new employee, will get a great benefit by having, and exuding, passion for creating and delivering a fantastic product or service. Passion is so critical because it is infectious - once it's noticed, it's hard for others to ignore it.
Consider the case of disgraced pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli. Now ousted from his role as CEO of two different companies, he was not one destined for long-term business success. His main considerations as a business leader were profit and self-aggrandizement. Tailored suits, expensive cars, and keeping his face in the media are what he will be known for. Then think about Steve Jobs. While Jobs clearly achieved billionaire status, he was less concerned about appearance and far more driven to create truly great, life-changing products for the world. And the fact is, he did just that. In interviews and profiles, Jobs wanted to talk about Apple products, not his personal life. While his passion could be overwhelming for some, it drove the innovation and creativity that sparked Apple into being one of the most financially successful companies in history.
This is precisely what a well-run, organized, and thoughtful organization should be doing - focusing on the things that drive them and deliver value to customers. Managing app integration, different versions of software or administrative tasks detract leaders from the more valuable aspects of their business.
Pride of work, realistic hope for the future, and an attachment to the results being produced - these are all what smart business leaders impart upon their employees. We work with business owners every day and we are humbled by the passion and energy they bring to their work. They tell us that ZeyOS provides a tool that gives them a comprehensive view into their organization, and because it offers all their needed functionality in a single workspace, they are less encumbered by managing the elements of their IT environment. Instead, they can build, innovate, lead and let their passion drive their activity.
We get to work with future Steve Jobs’ and Sergey Brins, and we love what we hear. ZeyOS customers talk enthusiastically about innovation, strategy, execution, and how those things will impact the working lives of their employees, and the business and personal lives of their customers. When that passion meets with a plan, that’s when they make their business their mission, and that is what technology is supposed to enable.
