Passion and Strategic Choices

Passion is a mysterious term with a long history. Great philosophers and scientists have deliberated on its nature because it is present in every great cultural myth, in every great story. While we may view passion as a positive feature of visionaries and innovators, historically, it has often taken a secondary role to cooler intellect. Thus, Plato saw reason as the chariot driver having to control good and bad passions. However, passion today is seen as largely unambiguously positive, especially by students of entrepreneurship. According to research it is related to pursuit of stretched goals, strong will, courage, perseverance, high level of initiative and willingness to work long hours.1 It results from engagement in something that is extremely meaningful and this sentiment is beautifully expressed by Sunil Kant Munjal, a manager of an Indian motorcycle producer, Hero: ‘If you are not passionate about a business, there is no use doing it. That’s almost a philosophy for us — we will only [get involved in] businesses that have certain attributes. One is that they need to allow us to get into a significant leadership position in a reasonable timeframe. Two, we only do businesses that have a positive social impact; that is an essential requirement for us as a group, as a family, as individuals. And three, we like to do businesses that we enjoy. If you like what you do, you do not have to work.’2