“passion brings out an enthusiasm and a dedication in others” Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett speaking in Italy recently

Summary of his words on Inspirational Leaders

“In the really great managers the common quality they have (in addition to intelligence, energy and integrity) is a passion for what they do.

They are not doing it for the money.

At least three quarters of the managers we have at Berkshire Hathaway are independently wealthy.  They do not need to go to work in the morning.  They go there because they they love what they’re doing.  It is creative.  I liken it to painting a painting.  They are painting a painting that they see in their mind, never finishing, they get to keep working on it every day.  They get to work on it in the way they want and they inspire others because that passion brings out an enthusiasm and a dedication in others.

If they were just going through the motions, sleepwalking through their jobs, they just wouldn’t get this engagement.

Inspirational Leaders are Fully Engaged

He brought up a very good question: how do you bring that sort of passion to the government?

Well certain leaders inspire people to go into government with that same passion for helping their fellow men through government.  John Kennedy did it with the peace corps, he inspired many people.

An inspirational leader in any field, whether business or politics, will energise and attract people to put forth the kind of effort in a that you’re talking about.  I hope we have one in the next President of the United States.  I think I think you need a leader that that can cause people to think above where they’ve been thinking before; and bring out bring out energy and passion that they didn’t know was present. I get that in business maybe more than occasionally you get in the public service.

I don’t think you can write a manual or something about it.” Warren Buffett

How do we create cultures which foster full engagement?  

We cannot learn it from a book, we cannot learn it from a DVD.  I believe we must spend time with other people who are living a fully engaged life.

A training course with a trainer is about learning content.  A training course led by a leader is both learning skill and role-modelling the fully engaged life.