Not long ago I spent time with the Passsionpreneur Moustafa Hamwi in Dubai talking about “Passionate Leadership.” Moustafa is based in Dubai and is known globally as The Passion Guy due to his amazing success in launching platforms that are empowering leaders to work & live passionately including a series of Passion Talks; and Passion Sundays the leading passion & happiness talkshow online where this interview was extracted from. Hamwi and I have talked about examples of passionate leadership, like the late Steve Jobs, and we also discussed the leadership structure that must surround the passionate leader, so that not only the leader, but every member of the team can excel in their capacity.

Passion in leadership powers hard work and innovative ideas.

Here is some more of our talk, which you can also watch on YouTube:

John Mattone appearing as a leadership guest on Passion Sundays, the world’s leading passion & happiness talk show 

Moustafa Hamwi: And talking about now moving that from just being a passionate leader into creating a culture and that’s going to require a bit of structure and systems around it. What’s the best way for a leader to convey that passion in a structured manner around the organization?

John Mattone: I think there are a number of steps that any leader can do to create a culture and I do think, without question, “Think differently, think big.” I think you’ve got to be vulnerable, I think you’ve got to have the guts to open up and say you know, “I’m good here but I have got to improve here.”

I think, the third thing is you’ve got to leverage your strengths and gifts and I think you’ve got to leverage the strengths and gifts of your people. Not just focus on the development needs, right? I mean, everybody wants to do that. But, what about your gifts and strengths that have served you well? So that we can continue to leverage and polish those strengths, like an athlete, right?

Lasting success requires continual training and continual desire to excel

I think having the courage to execute is a great thing that a leader can do to create that culture. Being vigilant, as you execute, look around, be vigilant to what’s happening. Course-correct, based on what you see, and I think the most important thing is to have a mindset around being privileged. This privilege to touch the hearts and minds of people, you know, and if you operate from the standpoint of that mentality of, “It’s a privilege,” then it brings so much more value and passion I think to the workplace.

MH: This is obvious passion and energy, so thank you very much. I’m sure you all enjoy and love this, with this passionate leadership coach. He is phenomenal, so thank you very much, John, for having us here. I really appreciate it.

JM: Thank you, Moustafa.

You have passion, and you want to bring out the best in every team member, right? Why not read my blog regularly? You’ll be reminded and encouraged regularly to maintain the level of passion that helped you become a leader and learn new skills and tips on bringing out the best in your team. Passionate leadership isn’t just a one-time thing, but should continually infuse your thoughts and actions as you lead your team on to greater things, and I’d like to help.

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