Do you create Charlies?

This skinny kid with wavy hair and bright eyes wandered down to the end of the court where my nephew and I shooting hoops. This kid is probably only 13 years old and says “you guys want to play some twenty-one or something?” As it turns out, the kid has game but struggles against our size and experience.

Charlie tells us he caddied at the golf course early this morning and played hoops in his drive most the day. He was bored playing by himself so his mom drove him to the city court. Turns out, we were the only guys playing that hot evening. Charlie was headed to basketball camp the next week and planned to play freshman high school ball when the school year starts. This kid has passion for what he is doing. Can you imagine a work team with the passion of Charlie? “Drive – The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” by Daniel H. Pink asks the question, “why will we do something for free that we would not do for pay?” Part of the secret is to align the individual’s passion with the available assignments.

How do you capitalize on the innate passion of your teammates? How do you keep your own passion aligned?