"Shiny Eyes": Why Passion Isn't Soft—It's Strategic Capacity
Bonus Insight #1 from 25 podcast conversations with leaders who leave the world better than they found it
I've spent 12 years helping people grow their businesses—launching, scaling, pivoting. I work with people who have incredible dreams and help them bridge from imagination to implementation.
Over those years, I learned to look for something specific. I call it "shiny eyes."
Not competence—though that matters. Not credentials—though those help. Not even track record.
Shiny eyes. That quality of being genuinely energized by the work itself, not just good at it.
I learned this from watching who succeeded and who didn't. The people with impressive resumes but no genuine passion? They executed fine but rarely created breakthrough impact.
The people who lit up when talking about the work? Even when they hit obstacles, they found ways through. Not because they were more skilled, but because they genuinely loved what they were doing.
The Problem With Competence-Only Hiring
Most organizational hiring optimizes for competence.
Can this person do the job? Do they have the skills? Have they done it before? What are their qualifications?
These are important questions. But they miss something crucial.
Two people with identical qualifications will perform completely differently if one has shiny eyes for the work and the other doesn't.
The person with shiny eyes:
Persists through obstacles because the work itself is rewarding
Innovates because they're genuinely curious about better approaches
Brings energy that's contagious to teams
Stays longer because the work sustains them
Goes beyond what's required because they care
The person without shiny eyes:
Does exactly what's asked, nothing more
Leaves when a better opportunity appears
Brings competence but not vitality
Executes but doesn't innovate
Both might be "qualified." But organizational impact will be dramatically different.
When I Lost My Shiny Eyes
I know what it feels like to lose shiny eyes.
I was good at the work I was doing. I had built expertise. People valued my contribution. By all external measures, I was successful.
But I'd stopped feeling energized by it. The work that used to excite me had become obligation. I was executing well but my shiny eyes were gone.
That's when I knew it was time to change.
Not because I was failing. Not because the work wasn't valuable. But because when you lose your shiny eyes, you're operating at a fraction of your capacity.
You can keep going. Many people do. They stay in roles they're good at but not energized by for years. They're competent but not alive.
But that's not sustainable. And it's not strategic.
Mission driven organizations need people who are energized by the work, not just capable of doing it.
What Shiny Eyes Actually Look Like
Shiny eyes isn't about being constantly happy or never struggling. It's not toxic positivity or pretending everything's great.
It's about genuine engagement with the work itself.
You can tell someone has shiny eyes when:
They talk about the work differently. There's energy in their voice. They use words like "fascinating" and "exciting" not just "important" or "necessary."
They bring ideas unprompted. They're thinking about the work even when they're not working. Solutions occur to them. They want to experiment.
They persist through difficulty. When obstacles appear, they problem-solve rather than disengage. The challenge doesn't drain them—it engages them.
They're learning-oriented. They want to get better at this specific work, not just advance their career. The craft itself matters to them.
They have opinions. They care enough to have strong perspectives about approach, not just execute what they're told.
They lose track of time. When they're doing the work, they get into flow. Hours pass without noticing.
None of this means they're always happy or never frustrated. But the frustration comes from caring, not from being trapped.
The Shiny Eyes Question
Here's what I've learned to ask in hiring, partnership, and strategic decisions:
"Do they have shiny eyes for this specific work?"
Not: Are they qualified? Not: Can they do it? Not even: Are they passionate about the mission?
But specifically: Do they have shiny eyes for THIS work?
Because mission alignment without shiny eyes for the actual work creates people who care about outcomes but are drained by the day-to-day.
And competence without shiny eyes creates execution without innovation.
You need both. Competence AND shiny eyes.
How To Spot Shiny Eyes In Others
In interviews, ask people to describe work that energized them. Not just work they did well—work that made them lose track of time.
Listen to how they talk about it. The language they use. The energy in their voice.
Ask what they're curious about right now. What they're learning. What problems they're thinking about even when they're not required to.
Notice whether they have opinions about the work itself or just about outcomes. People with shiny eyes care about craft, not just results.
Watch how they talk about obstacles in past roles. Do they describe problems as draining or as engaging challenges?
And most importantly: trust your gut. Shiny eyes is something you can feel when someone talks about their work.
When To Choose Competence Over Shiny Eyes
Sometimes you need competence more than shiny eyes.
For roles that are truly operational—where innovation isn't needed and consistency matters most—competence may be sufficient.
For short-term projects where someone just needs to execute a defined scope, shiny eyes might not be critical.
For roles where burnout risk is low because the work is genuinely contained, competence might be enough.
But for roles where:
Innovation matters
Long-term sustainability matters
The work is difficult or ambiguous
You need people to go beyond job description
Energy is contagious to others
Shiny eyes isn't optional. It's strategic capacity.
From Competence To Vitality
I'm not arguing against competence. Skills matter. Experience matters. Qualifications matter.
But competence alone creates organizations that function without thriving.
Competence plus shiny eyes creates organizations that innovate, adapt, and sustain.
Next time you're hiring, building partnerships, or allocating leadership attention, add one question to your assessment:
"Do they have shiny eyes for this?"
If the answer is yes, invest there. Even if they're less credentialed than alternatives.
If the answer is no, ask whether competence alone will be enough for what you need.
Because the people with shiny eyes are the ones who'll still be energized and innovating five years from now when everyone else has burned out.
And organizational vitality comes from people who are genuinely alive in their work.
Not just good at it. Energized by it.
That's what shiny eyes means.
And it's strategic capacity you can't afford to ignore.
This is bonus insight #1 in an extended series exploring lessons from podcast conversations with leaders who leave the world better than they found it.
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