Two talented aircraft engineers think about their ambition to build a new aircraft. One has just passion for his plan; the other has both passion and compassion.
The person with passion alone thinks: “I’m going to design a posh aircraft with all the advanced technologies and amenities. I’ll enhance the in-flight entertainment with virtual reality headsets, which will allow the passengers to see a 360-degree view outside the aircraft through live cameras. I’ll give the best experience to passengers who can afford it, and so on”.
The person with passion and compassion thinks: “I’m going to model an aircraft that doesn’t disappear in the sea and doesn’t crash land due to any failures. If it is not feasible in the current design, I will propose a new design. We can’t lose people in such freak accidents”.
Clearly, these two engineers are approaching their ambition towards opposite poles. If we carefully look at their ambition, both are not easy to accomplish, but both are possible to achieve. Both these people can become leaders or CEO’s tomorrow but the second one carries a better perspective.
People who are driven by passion alone can take a very long time to mature and realize that they need something more to achieve completeness in life. On the other hand, people with both passion and compassion possess a mature mind inclined to serve others and grow better from the very beginning.
Passion Fueled by Compassion
Compassion in passionate people acts like a guiding internal compass, it anchors them to the right passion and push them in the right direction. Compassion forces people to become more independent and courageous because they take the less travelled path. Such people are not bound by common beliefs. They have a complete control over their actions to remain steadfast to the core purpose. Compassion is an abundant source of energy intrinsic in every human being. This natural feeling of responsibility fuels passion to achieve the extraordinary goals easily.
Approach of Passion Alone Leaders
We usually come across great leaders and influencers who followed their passion without the benefit of compassion. It is only later in life that they realize the desire to serve humanity. So, they decide finally to get involved in philanthropy and charity. They raise funds for the poorest and give millions to charity.
If we depict the charitable or philanthropic acts of leaders with compassion and those without compassion, we can see some important distinctions.
Passion Alone Leaders – This is how they look at social problems.
- “Oh! Someone has fallen deep in the pit. Let me save him.” (Totally blind about the people who are drifting and hanging on top).
- “Let me first save the person in deep trouble.” (The rope here symbolizes charitable contributions or philanthropic efforts).
People who become leaders by following passion alone path don’t show the right acumen to solve problems holistically. They grow up with the belief that the sufferers are in some poorest communities just like the picture above. They don’t realize the sufferers and the problem creators are right next to them. Due to lack of compassion from the beginning, they don’t challenge the right belief system to develop true leadership skills. Though they are well-read people with good intentions they lack the ideas to solve complex social issues. Their ideas to address social problems, are very shortsighted and influenced by their intellectual bias.
Leader with Passion and Compassion
Let’s see how a compassionate leader acts on problems holistically.
- “There are so many people who need my help. Let me help this person who is drifting from top. If I don’t help him, he may fall on the other people.” (She first helps the person hanging from top).
- “I will stand by him and help him to lift others.” (She teaches others to lead and encourage others to take bold steps)
- “I will ask them to come up with ideas to avoid any person falling in again.” (She seeks ideas from others)
Compassionate leaders are not blind to the social problems. They acquire great problem-solving skills very early in life. They develop themselves to become great leaders very soon. They are passionate about making everyone a leader and compassionate about making everyone equal. They are ready to sacrifice themselves for such great cause.
When passionate people start looking at the world with more compassion, they will find millions of issues that needs their immediate attention. By taking actions to address those issues they not only help the world to become better, but they also help themselves to become better persons. History has shown few successful leaders who turned out to be an exception to the passion-alone path. They eventually figure out that compassion is higher than the passion and became true leaders. Such is the case with Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam – The former President of India, who was a passionate rocket scientist popularly known as the ‘missile man of India’. On several occasions Dr. Kalam mentioned that he learnt his lesson of compassion when he developed the lightweight calipers for polio-stricken kids — not when he developed military missiles. From then on, he went to become the ‘Peoples’ President of India’.
Even corporates can align their goals with compassion to achieve great benefits for its stakeholders and the society. When everyone starts choosing a purposeful less travelled path with compassion, everyone can lead a healthier, happier, and valuable life. Above all we will realize the true meaning of life and live it to the fullest.
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
Mahatma Gandhi
