“That’s all you got, lady. Two wrong feet in f*$!ing ugly shoes.”

“That’s all you got, lady. Two wrong feet in f*$!ing ugly shoes.”
– Erin Brockovich – Never underestimate the power of passion.

There is something to be said for the person who may not look the right part, may not even sound like the part, but has a passion for what they are doing and a work ethic to match. Erin Brockovich starts out just needing a job, but when she is allowed to go a little beyond her job title, the plot begins to thicken. She finds a passion, a purpose and a driving force to get the job done.

We can tell a lot from first impressions – but not everything. And just because the exterior may look a little rough, or tattooed or in this case, exposed, it doesn’t mean that there is not a kick-ass hard worker beneath.  

This all goes back to the simple phrase of don’t judge a book by its cover.  Kind of a theme that comes up for Julia Roberts in a few of her movies (remember in Pretty Woman? “Big Mistake. HUGE!”).  The preconceptions we make about people can be something that can hold our whole company back.  

Passion is contagious. If one person can get excited about the company, it’s products or vision or mission, that can be a feeling that grows throughout the organization (and it can also go both ways with the negative nelly’s in the office).  And maybe you’re sitting there thinking, “well, my product isn’t that passion inspiring in the first place.” But to someone, it just might be. Passion can take some people further than education, further than prior experience and further than others may have thought they could ever go.

Now usually I stick to short quotes within these blogs, but this one says something to me. This is where Erin and Ed (her employer) are sitting discussing a settlement with the company which has essentially poisoned the water.

Ms. Sanchez:
Let’s be honest here. $20 million is more money then these people have ever dreamed of.

Erin Brockovich:
Oh see, now that pisses me off. First of all, since the demur we have more than 400 plaintiffs and… let’s be honest, we all know there are more out there. They may not be the most sophisticated people, but they do know how to divide, and $20 million isn’t *shit* when you split it between them. Second of all, these people don’t dream about being rich. They dream about being able to watch their kids swim in a pool without worrying that they’ll have to have a hysterectomy at the age of *twenty*. Like Rosa Diaz, a client of ours. Or have their spine deteriorate, like Stan Blume, *another* client of ours. So before you come back here with another lame ass offer, I want you to think real hard about what your spine is worth Mr. Walker. Or what you might expect someone to pay you for your uterus, Ms. Sanchez. Then you take out your calculator, and you multiply that number by a hundred. Anything less than that is a waste of our time.

Erin Brockovich:
By the way, we had that water brought in especially for you folks. Came from a well in Hinkley.

Ms. Sanchez:
I think this meeting is over.

Ed Masry:
Damn right it is.

Passion will be what brings people to a new level in productivity, loyalty and the mission of your company. It is what create team leaders that inspire others.  It has been said that the most successful leaders don’t just have a career. They have a PASSION.  

Don’t judge a book by its cover. Instead, pay attention to the passion that the person has.

With that being said, I think this blog is over. Damn right it is.