M Thompson:

You will hear this from most everyone who has enjoyed lasting success: entrepreneurs, government and religious leaders, artists and educators, single parents, social workers, Academy Award winners, carpenters, store managers, and billionaires.

You will hear it from the most hard-boiled military generals and tough business guys like Larry Bossidy, author of a warm-and-fuzzy-sounding book called Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done. Bossidy has never been accused of being touchy-feely.

On a bitter cold, clear day in Connecticut, we huddled in the tough-minded retired CEO’s home office built in a converted barn near a frozen pond, where we talked for hours about success and leadership. When we threw the “L” word at him, the steely-eyed former CEO didn’t flinch.

“It’s a competitive imperative,” he insisted. “Only by loving what you do will you actually do more and do it better than the person sitting next to you. If you don’t, well then, we’ll find someone who does.” Yep, fear is a big motivator, too, but you’ll find that love lasts longer. You can run a marathon at gunpoint, but you probably won’t win the race.

“You can survive without loving it, but you will be second-rate,” said Brigadier General Clara Adams-Ender, Ret. “To spend any part of your career not knowing why you’re there will take your power away.” If you want to have success that outlasts your job, only love will find the way. — Beliefnet.com