People Work Hard for Money, But They Will Die for a Cause

Most people will work hard for money if properly motivated. Though it may help, more money is not the key to making your employees more passionate. It is a myth to think that you do not need passion if only you have good staff and pay them well. It helps to have good people and to pay them well. However, passion needs to be embedded in a cause that the people can buy into. This will spur the employees on as they can grasp something out of this cause. It is not just about money. People simply would not follow someone for long if he is not chasing after a big and worthwhile dream.

Thus companies need to provide a deeper meaning or purpose to life for their employees to unleash their fullest potential. If the employees find a meaningful cause for what they are doing, many will be passionate and some will die for that cause. People through the ages have demonstrated this intrinsic desire to die for one's beliefs whether they are religious, political or social. In the same vein, good organisations are those that are great at rallying people around a lofty cause. And the magnitude of this cause can even turn into a crusade.

The Indian born founder of Hotmail Inc, Sabeer Bhatia could only offer a cause to the people who join him in starting up Hotmail. He could not afford to offer them any salary. Many of his people continued to join him because of their faith in his project and the potential of the Internet. They had no goals for immediate monetary gratifications. Today, as a result of the huge success of Hotmail, the people who stuck with Sabeer have struck it rich. Sabeer Bhatia was able to turn the cause into a crusade with cult-like fanaticism. He was able to command the full dedication of his followers.

If what people do on the job is placed in the context of a good cause such as improving the quality of life, contributing to the betterment of mankind etc, the impact can be dramatic. Barnevik, the former chairman of ABB Brown Boveri, says that he is motivated by a desire to create a better world by generating employment thereby making the world more livable with clean energy and transportation.

For Branson, too, social concerns are an important concept of his corporate philosophy. On many occasions, he has put his money where his mouth is. For example, Virgin produced low-priced Mates condoms in response to the AIDS crisis. He also bid for the national lottery franchise in the UK with the promise to donate all the profits to charity.

The CEO of BP, David Simon has said that environmental protection is a significant corporate cultural value: "We have an action plan in which 50,000 BP employees participate. Our employees have hopes for the world and for their children." Some environmentalists concede that BP is at the forefront of multinational organisations taking global warming seriously. Anita Roddick, the founder of The Body Shop has also built a successful business that respects nature, animals, people and employees.

When your staff firmly believe in the company's cause, they will go beyond the call of duty.

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