One of the questions I always ask people when I interview them for job openings is a simple one - “what are you passionate about.”  I make it clear that it can be anything in the world - preferably not in the workplace - I want to see what it is that really fires the prospect up.  I think you can tell a lot about how passionate people get about their favorite things.  You get a glimpse of who they are when they’re in their element.  For those who struggle to name a passion, it’s usually a red flag - for, after all, if you can’t get passionate about your favorite thing in the world, how in the world are you going to work with passion during the day to day grind?

Check out the above video - it’s a 20 minute talk from Benjamin Zander who’s the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic.  Zander gave the talk at this year’s TED conference (which features top minds from a number of different fields). 

Zander’s passion for classical music is truly one of a kind - in fact, it’s intentionally infectious.  He is able to unlock the mystery of Chopin and help even musical neophytes appreciate the greats (“no one is tone deaf”)  It’s 20 minutes well spent.

Bravo.