After 12 years, our running coach is stepping down. A passionate guy who sends us out into the woods early every Tuesday morning—literally. Summer and winter, rain or shine. Week after week. A running group full of athletic guys successfully battling “belly fat” and other signs of physical decline. A very diverse group of guys, complete with all the typical group dynamics: the veteran, the complainer, the smooth talker, the “just-in-time” guy, Group C, a loudmouth, and everything else you’d expect from a group like this. Every Tuesday, right on time. Discipline. How do we keep it up? Thanks to Martijn’s passion. He’s always there, always cheerful, always ready to help. He has only one mission: to help us move forward.

In my professional life, too, I work with passionate people. Sometimes, however, you encounter the exact opposite. For example, I became involved with a group of professionals who were fed up with their “forced marriage.” When I walked into the small meeting room, the group was sitting in a circle, staring blankly ahead. Dead silence. You can tell right away that, for the time being, there’s no getting anywhere with this group. You can sense the atmosphere—the feeling of being forced to do something by someone else. That’s a poor foundation for successful collaboration.

As is so often the case, the fear that the other person will take advantage of you is greater than the trust in a lasting partnership. At the same time, everyone knows deep down that no one can work this miracle alone. How can we collectively take the whole to the next level—the sum of its parts? For now, all I see in this small room are people’s piercing, watchful glances darting from one person to the next. A stalemate.

I manage to get the biggest opponent to speak up. He lays out all the objections. But the rest of the group doesn’t agree at all. Those aren’t the right objections! There are entirely different reasons why it won’t work between us, ….:). Only when the group realizes that they can’t even agree on why merging isn’t a good idea does the tide turn.

Now awareness is returning. Someone stands up to speak out of passion. A glimmer of hope on the horizon: “What if we invested in….” The appeal is contagious. Eventually, after plenty of bad coffee, a new connection is formed. Respect for the other person has won out over the ease of going it alone.

Every impasse involves a kind of lack of passion. Only when passion is rekindled can all obstacles be overcome. Breaking out of your rut through a shared goal. That’s not rational or factual. Passion is what drives us.

Our running coach is stepping down. But the group isn’t stopping. Martijn has successfully inspired us with his passion for health and fitness. He’s irreplaceable, but we’re going to keep going on our own. There’s no lack of enthusiasm in the running group.