Entrepreneurs are usually pretty passionate about their mission. But as the organization grows, it can be tough to add talented people who share the passion. Should the entrepreneur REQUIRE everyone to share the passion? Or, should the entrepreneur settle for adding talented people who view his passion as an obsession?
I’ve thought a lot about this subject over the years. I was in an entrepreneurial venture during the dot com days when my passion gradually parted ways with the company’s passion. At InfusionSoft, as our company has gone through growth stages, it’s been interesting and challenging to keep every employee fired up about our mission. There have definitely been times when an employee or two has viewed my passion as an obsession, not to be shared or appreciated.
So, the other day, when I read a couple of great blogs about the issue, I perked up. The best place to go for a summary on the topic is Tim Berry’s post in Anita Campbell’s Small Business Trends. Tim’s the founder of Palo Alto Software and co-founder of Borland International. He’s a seasoned entrepreneur who knows his stuff.
So, where do I stand on the issue? I absolutely do require all of our employees to share the passion for revolutionizing dthe way small businesses drive and manage their growth. Our mission is too important to me to have a bunch of people on board who don’t get it. But I also want our employees to have a life outside of InfusionSoft. For the most part, I think we’re getting it right… and it’s one of the things I love most about what we’re doing at InfusionSoft.
