Don’t follow your bliss

Posted On October 23, 2014

Have you seen this story? Mike Rowe, the guy from the FORD truck commercials and Dirty Jobs, responded to a fan with an answer that would make many managers give him a standing ovation.

The fan was asking Rowe why he should not follow his dream; a reaction to a Ted Talk where Rowe told the audience that “follow your dream” was awful advice. Rowe, a young Boomer, told the fan, whose generation is not disclosed, that “Passion is too important to be without, but too fickle to be guided by.”

Rowe is known for Dirty Jobs and his new series Somebody Has to Do It. In both, he showcases jobs and careers where one would not expect to find a lot of passion. But his experiences have proven that people can become passionate about any work.

“Today, we have millions looking for work, and millions of good jobs unfilled because people are simply not passionate about pursuing those particular opportunities,” Rowe writes in his response.

And that’s an opportunity that some businesses can capitalize on. Despite Rowe’s logic, the idea of following your passion probably isn’t going anywhere. Companies that are struggling to find workers for certain roles can do themselves a favor by seeking out passionate role models among their current ranks. Use these stories to show others the why they may want to be the “someone who gets to do it.”

Read the full story here.

Categories: Work