I have been working in this space for about 8 years. I have both technical and business skills, although I prefer to focus on the latter - developing the vision... Lately I have felt that I am losing the passion that you need to play in this sand pit. What exciting opportunities are they that will allow me to regain that passion?

-- Michael Scruse (michael@mikenme.com), October 24, 2000

Answers

Michael, lets take passion from a relationship point of view. I have been married 15 years, your question is a question I have asked myself. How do I regain the passion in my marriage? The answer was simple in the end, look at my wife through the eyes of another man. My problem, I was allowing myself to see the same things, narrowing my field of vision, unlike I was doing when we first got married. When I first got married I was a competitive hound-dog, a decade later, I was just a lazy old dog expecting the dog bowl to be there when I wanted it. Sometimes it is a case of just finding the dog inside of you that you were.

My first rule in regaining passion therefore is to step outside. In your case, leave the building, stand on the kerb and look back at the building while everybody is working on the outside. Imagine yourself being a newbie who wants to explore what this company is about, see the organization as a new entity and see your company through the eyes of someone trying to get your job. Feel like what it feels like to be an outsider again, because sometimes familiarity breeds contempt.

The opportunities piece can't be touched until you deal with the familiarization which is no doubt taking the edge of off your competitive zeal. There is no point in having a vision either if in fact you really don't want to be there. Of course a job should never be like a marriage, you don't have to be married to one profession forever, so if it is time for change, then sit down and do an inventory of what you really would like to do. Don't however keep your eye off the ball as you do this, the best way to move to a new career is as employed rather than an unemployed position.

These days 8 years is a long time to be working in the same space, and you sure have to love something about your space in order to stay in it. You have indicated a yearning to see how you can accelerate and capitalize on your business skills. Some people do make a clean break, but others who have been used to being on a steady ship make the transition (wisely) slowly. How do they do this? They find a part time vocation, one which allows them to test their new interests, while adding flavor rather taking away interest from their current job.

Right now you are in a position of strength, your probably in a fairly secure workspace and sometimes too much security can dull the senses but you have indicated that you want to be competitive. The key thing I am addressing tonight is that sometimes all it takes is a reminder of what you already have, in order to see what you can build on top of it. Too many people forget about their advantages looking vainly in search of new one's.

So Micheal once you clear the cobwebs and you start seeing your current position much more clearly and vividly, what do you think you need to do to regain the passion and to kickstart your competitive juices?

-- Mark Zorro (zorromark@consultant.com), October 25, 2000.