When I hire, I am not just looking at a résumé. I am looking for passion. Skills can be taught. Passion cannot. Unless you are hiring a doctor, lawyer, or accountant where specialized expertise is the foundation, what matters most is finding people who bring curiosity, creativity, and a “what could we build?” attitude.

Passion is the ultimate driver of performance. It fuels innovation, inspires collaboration, and creates resilience when challenges arise. A passionate team member does not just do their job, they elevate everyone around them. They ask bigger questions, look for smarter solutions, and bring energy that is contagious.

Companies spend billions on training programs to teach technical skills, processes, and systems. And it works. But no training program in the world can teach someone to care deeply, to show up with curiosity, or to bring possibility thinking to the table. That spark has to come from within.

One passionate employee can often create the impact of three who are simply completing tasks. They generate momentum, and momentum is magnetic. When you fill a team with people who genuinely love what they do, you do not just have workers. You have builders, innovators, and owners of the mission.

Hiring for passion is just the beginning. Leaders have a responsibility to nurture that energy by creating a culture where ideas are heard, effort is recognized, and curiosity is rewarded. That is how you turn passion into progress, and progress into growth.

If you want a culture of innovation, do not just hire for skill. Hire for passion, train for skill, and create the environment where passion turns into possibility. It is the difference between employees who ask, “Do I have to?” and employees who ask, “What if we could?”