Leadership: WHAT’S LOVE GOT to DO WITH IT?

As business leaders, we know that results matter. We’re driven to get things done, be productive, add value, and deliver strong bottom line results.

Clear headed, hardnosed decisions often need to be made, and in such circumstances love appears a strange bedfellow.

 

But consider these facts about our current business environment:

• According to a recent Workplace Stress & Well-Being survey by the Australia Psychological Society only half (52%) of working Australians reported that their employer valued their contribution and cared about their well being.
• According to a recent Gallup Survey only 31.5% of US workers are engaged whilst in Australia and New Zealand that figure is an even more dismal 24% (with 16% actively disengaged).
• According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, stress related workers compensation claims have doubled in recent years, costing Australian Businesses over $10B per annum.
• A variety of different studies have indicated that up to 75% of people voluntarily leaving their jobs do so because of dissatisfaction with their direct leader.

Employees are saying they feel undervalued… disengaged… stressed out… unappreciated.

They’re telling us to pay attention, that as leaders we’re missing something essential. That something is this: Love.

You see love is the original creative force—dynamic, emergent, and primal. It fuels purpose and passion. We talk about creativity, purpose and passion as core values for any sustainable growth company, yet we don’t discuss ‘loving strategies’ for leaders.

Why not?

Because love isn’t something we can quantify, much less control, so we don’t talk about it—especially in business where it’s been a taboo subject for too long. A four-letter word best avoided in the workplace.

We’ll talk about ‘bringing your whole self to work,’ but we won’t talk about loving each other at work.

Yet love is the essence of acceptance and respect, to meeting someone where they are, and valuing them for their unique contributions, rather than focussing on the skills or experience they lack. Love is letting go of judgement, and embracing our connectedness, so that we can work as a one, as a truly united and purpose-filled team.

Love is the strong, resilient fabric we create by weaving threads of individual radiance and brilliance into a background of collective capability and coherence—which sounds exactly like the company we all want to create, doesn’t it? The company where at last it’s genuinely okay (and safe) to truly be ourselves.

So as leaders why aren’t we asking: What’s love got to do with it? And responding with: Everything!

Especially as a large body of the research into high performance cultures and leadership effectiveness clearly shows that:

• Employees want to be loved: They want to be seen for who they are—for the unique blend of experience, skills, and perspectives they bring to the table. They want to be valued—to know that their effort makes a difference (even in small, subtle ways).
• Employees want to share the love. They want to feel connected—to their workmates, leaders, and employers. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves—to have a sense of purpose and passion; to love what they do and why they do it.

So love is essential to leadership, and even if it makes us uncomfortable, we need to be talking about it.

Loving leadership practices need not be complicated either. They can start in the smallest of ways—the warmth of a smile, a pat on the back, an invitation to lunch, a hand written thank you note, an expression of support when setbacks occur, or making eye contact and genuinely being present when asking someone ‘How are you doing?’

In many ways, it’s less about the form love takes, and more about where it comes from that makes all the difference…to both the giver and the receiver.

You see love doesn’t come from a sense of obligation, or a desire to conform, or from spotting an opportunity that can be leveraged—it emerges and flows through us from a deep, instinctive place of knowing… a place in the heart.

It’s as authentic and connective as it gets, and authenticity and connection are the currency of outstanding leaders. Of course, like any other leadership practice, love needs to be consistently applied. Why? Because consistency is also integral to authenticity, and the people you lead will know if you love them or not. You can’t fake that.

Fortunately, there’s no need to attend a training course or bring in a group of consultants to help you develop the capacity to love, because we’re all born with it. All you need do is allow it to emerge and take form in a way that is true to you.

Allow a little or allow a lot, but make a start.

Loving leadership recognises the workplace as a source of connection, meaning and fulfilment. This powerful approach can transform both your impact as a leader and the performance of the individuals and organisations that you lead and serve.

There’s never been a more worthy and worthwhile risk to take!

With love,

 

Mark