Surround yourself with people who are passionate

There is one thing I am terrified of… snakes.

On a recent trip to India my colleague, Raj Kuttalam invited me to his home, where I met his lovely family. Raj’s son, Sourish, I discovered is studying to be an herpetologist. He studies snakes for a living! This is a field I would never, never personally choose to work in.

Yet I was curious what drove Sourish to herpetology, so I asked him. Immediately, I saw a visible change in him. His eyes lit up, his body language projected confidence – he was visibly excited to talk about why he chose this field for his career ! His voice was so passionate as he spoke to me. This passion clearly drove him, lifted him, and motivated him to excel in the study of snakes.

When I saw his passion, it clicked for me. At first, my fear prevented me from understanding how someone could happily be studying to be a herpetologist, but I do understand how powerful a motivator passion is. Look at the pictures of Sourish and his snakes. I see happiness and passion.

Sourish’s passion for snakes reminds me of what makes me light up – working with great people to help our customers solve their problems. My passion has fueled me to help build an amazing Lenovo DCG Asia Pacific team. This team have made Lenovo DCG a serious player in the Data Center market by delivering amazing solutions to help our customers thrive.

When your passion drives you to pursue something and you succeed, the feeling is contagious. Or maybe infectious is the right word. When someone is positive and motivated, the feeling can be catching. The same as sitting next to a high-achiever at work can help your work performance (and sitting next to a source of negative energy can drag you down), talking with people who are passionate about what they’re doing gives you a boost.

If there is one piece of advice I can give here – Surround yourself with people who are passionate and feel the difference in your own day.

I’m still scared of snakes!!