What does passion mean to you? What are the traits and behaviors that you associate with it? 

We've come to require passion in our culture - of ourselves and our employees. It's become a symbol for good value. 

I heard in a conversation that, "Our society demands the performance of extroversion." It made me see that passion can sometimes disguise itself as a performance of extroversion. 

Think of how often we feel we must behave extroverted to pass as dedicated, passionate, or good enough. We rely on that performance to determine who would be an excellent hire or who is going to be the most committed. It's so unfair for introverts, because it means they are tired all the time from performing and masking their true selves at the same time.

Here's how it happened for me:

Almost 20 years ago, I was told that I "didn't want it enough" to be a conductor. Still to this day, I hear those words and it plagues me. I always gave my 1000%. I just don't understand how I could have possibly wanted it more. I didn't have any more to give. 

Now I realized that I interpreted not wanting it enough as not dedicated or passionate enough, which in my mind meant hard work, focus, thoughtfulness, and persistence. Unfortunately, that may not be what "wanting it enough" meant (at that time, for that person). What it probably referred to was not enough performance of extroversion. It now makes sense to me why I never measured up all those years ago. As an introvert, I was naturally bad at extroversion (and therefore at the performance of it). 

Yes, our society demands the performance of extroversion. We will probably never be able to change that. What we can do is equally demand to see passion in introverted clothes as well.

Here are some ways we may be able to spot introverted passion:  

• Depth of focus - channeling passion into deep, sustained focus on specific interests or projects, excelling in solitary environments.

• Thoughtful expression - expressing passion through well-considered communication through writing or meaningful conversations.

• Persistent effort - demonstrating passion through consistent, reliable effort, letting the quality of their work reflect their commitment.

• Private enthusiasm - pursuing their passion with deep knowledge and joy in the privacy of their own minds.

• Observational engagement - expressing passion by being actively engaged as observers, processing their surroundings and integrating them into their work.

• One-on-one connection - thriving in one-on-one interactions, where their passion emerges in deep connections and supportive relationships.

Do these traits remind you of anyone? As leaders, we can validate the ways their passion manifests. Give them the permission to not have to perform extroversion in order to be seen as passionate. They will be grateful, as 20 year-old me would have!

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