Donna was quiet. “You talk about necessity. It was a volunteer team, so the necessity had to be something inside each of us. To create a new team on my new project, I have to find people who find that same necessity, inside.”

“Okay,” I nodded. “What do you look for?”

“To be on this team, you have to be interested in the work. You have to have a passion for the work,” she replied.

“And what work do we have interest in, as individuals? As a manager, how will you identify the passion we might have for the project?”

Donna was searching. Her eyes moved up and to the left. “I know I have an interest, or passion, for work in which I place a high value. If I don’t place a high value on the work, I will not be interested. I mean, I may show up and slug my way through it, but I will not pursue it, with enthusiasm.”

“Value?” I asked.

“Value. If I see high value, you have my attention.”

“As a manager, how will you see that in another person?”