The human capabilities that contribute to competitive success can be arrayed in a hierarchy. At the bottom is obedience – an ability to take direction and follow rules.  This is the baseline. Next up the ladder is diligence. Diligent employees are accountable. They don’t take shortcuts. They are conscientious and well-organised. Knowledge and Intellect are on the next step. Most companies work hard to hire intellectually gifted employees. They value smart people who are eager to improve their skills and willing to borrow best practices from others. Beyond intellect lies initiative. People with initiative don’t wait to be asked and don’t need to be told. They seek out new challenges and are always searching for new ways to add value.  Higher still lies the gift of creativity. Creative people are inquisitive and irrepressible. They’re are not afraid of staying stupid things. They start a lot of conversations with, “Wouldn’t it be cool if..” And finally, at the top lies passion. Passion can make people do stupid things, but it’s the secret sauce that turns intent into accomplishment. People with passion climb over obstacles and refuse to give up. Passion is contagious and turns one person crusades into mass movements. As the English novelist E.M.Forster put it, “One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested”.

–          Gary Hamel from ‘The Future of Management’