Let me ask you, which of the following sales people would leap over tall buildings for you?
Sales Person A, who has  “an intense liking or enthusiasm.”
Or
Sales Person B, who has “a psychological state with regard to dependability and confidence.”
         The description of Sales Person A came from the dictionary definition of passion. Sales Person B’s description came for the definition of morale.
          I think the answer is obvious….it is sales person A, the one driven by the passion to win, who will take you to new heights.
          Very often when I’m dealing with amiable-type sales managers they place “staff morale” or “keeping the staff happy” at the top of their list. And there is no disputing that you can not win in an environment which breeds low morale.
          But often, what appears to be good staff morale manifests itself into contentment, comfort zones and even complacency. If “comfort” is our goal we will not win the hard battles.
          True leaders have learned how to stretch their people beyond their comfort zones and ignite their team’s passion to succeed.
          Pushing the envelope and causing change invariably creates momentary discomfort. Staff resistance to that discomfort can be misinterpreted by staff and by management as poor morale.
          Picture the morale in the dressing room right after your team won a game that was easy to win. Now picture that same team in the dressing room after they won a game against all odds.
          In the end, it is passion that motivates us to succeed. Nothing is more rewarding than achieving what we thought could not be done. Just being “dependable” is not very uplifting.
          If good morale is your only driving force, be on the lookout for comfort zones and complacency.  
          When there is passion in your building, great morale will always follow.

P.S. It is unrealistic to think you’ll ever have a team completely comprised of A players. And having some B players with “dependability and confidence”  is a GOOD thing……but let’s not confuse them with our A players.