Why Passion Projects Make Better Leaders

It is easy for business leaders to find themselves stuck with tunnel vision when seeking out solutions to problems and generating avenues for business growth. But this sort of stunted perspective can not only hinder positive outcomes, but also a leader’s long-term development, creating the perfect recipe for burnout.

During busy seasons, aspiring leaders may assume the only way to develop leadership capabilities is to make life all about work, but such restrictions can be counterintuitive to a business owner’s goals. By prioritizing personal time for passions and interests outside work, leaders can bring their best selves to the workplace, creating a solid foundation for their team to thrive.

I've long held a passion for aviation, from the evolution of aircraft to the stories behind the pilots. I began building a collection of Waco biplanes, eventually expanding the collection to include other vintage aircraft tied to important aviation history. This personal project grew into The Caldwell Collection at Mustang Field that opened on Oct. 4, a collection of 27 vintage aircrafts on display for public visitors located in a historic World War II hanger. What began as my own passion project evolved into a public resource that ensures the history of these aircraft are preserved.

This satisfying culmination of a lifelong passion provided an incredible boost to my motivation inside and outside the office. Aside from preventing burnout, hobbies can keep leaders refreshed, flexible and better prepared to take on a challenge. Consider some of the following ways passion projects can help build better leaders:

• Personal hobbies build up soft skills: Transferrable skills have always been important in a competitive labor market, but these skills don’t always come from professional experience. Of course, one learns patience and time management while working a food service job, for example, but those skills are also important for personal pursuits. Whether it’s research, problem-solving, or sometimes even math, many of us tend to discount the very real skills we’re developing because they are used for “hobbies,” even though they can be crucial to solving problems at work.

• Learning how to stick with something: In business, leaders need to know how to get things past the finish line. When hurdles present themselves, team members look to a leader to set the pace and guide them on next steps when navigating a problem. A self-guided passion project can help up-and-coming business leaders practice important time management and problem-solving skills without the added pressure of company time constraints.

• Encourage creativity: Interests outside of work provide an important respite where thinking outside of the box comes more easily. They are also proven to help reduce stress, lessening the likelihood of burnout that would otherwise taper your creative juicesin both personal and professional spaces. Creative problem-solving fosters a sense of accomplishment, leaving leaders ready to tackle problems coming their way.

By prioritizing interests outside of work, leaders can bring more fulfilled and curious versions of themselves to the workplace. Just as flight attendants instruct during safety to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others, so too do leaders need to remember to prioritize time for themselves for the betterment of themselves and their teams.