Commitment, Focus, Passion

I saw a TV ad recently featuring Mario Andretti, an Italian-born former racecar driver, one of the most successful drivers in the history of the sport. He was sitting relaxed in the middle of a race track and he said this: “If you plan to have success in business and in life you have to have three things: commitment, focus, and passion.”

It struck me that Mario captured the essence of everything I share relative to the pearls of business and my business consulting.

Commitment: Growing our businesses or our careers starts with knowing where we are going and having a clear image of our ultimate objective—be it obtaining a government contract, building our business and taking it to the next level, or aspiring to a liquidity event. Once we have that objective clearly in mind, we must commit to achieving it.

Focus: The word focus brings to mind a multitude of thoughts. In the case of business and/or life achievements, we must pay close attention to doing the important things that move us toward our ultimate objectives. So we have to be constantly vigilant and focus on what we’re doing so we can accomplish the goal we’re committed to.

Passion: Whether we realize it or not, if we are passionate about something it shows. We can’t fake passion. Relative to our businesses and our careers, being passionate about our products and services is a prerequisite to success. However, that passion has to be directed correctly, so when we are discussing our products and services we need to be thinking passionately about how we can adapt what we do to ensure we can help our prospective clients and customers achieve their objectives.

What are some experiences you’ve had relative to commitment, focus, and passion? How do you apply these principles in your business or career?