Love as the epicenter of humanity and as the unifying human need is the great motivator. While the movie Wall Street in 1987 popularized the Greed is Good creed I am challenging it is with Love is Good.
Indeed, greed is an intense selfish desire for something. It does not consider the needs and desires of others. Greed for power, money, status and influence likely drives many an aspiring and current leader, but, are they the best qualities for the leader of your company? Likely not, as discussed in my previous blog about confident and selfless leadership.
A leadership driven by love is one that is concerned about the wellbeing of the staff and the success of the company. Leading with love means having empathy for oneself and your own struggles, and empathy for the people you serve, as a leader. How can you show empathy as a leader?
Let’s start by defining it: Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Having empathy means to use your head and heart when leading others. You need to have an open mind and curiosity to seek to understand how someone else thinks, feels and behaves and the will to share their experience. What does it mean to share the experience of someone who works for you? It means that you take time to get to know them, to listen, to understand the work they do, and to get to know them on a deeper level than just name, title, strengths and weaknesses.
Why is love in the form of empathy important from a leadership and organizational performance perspective? Because a leader who knows his people knows how to motivate them. Feeling understood, known and seen increases engagement, trust and performance.
Recent research tells us that Americans are lonely while simultaneously spending most of their time at work according to a study by CIGNA. For many most of their social relationships and friendships are with peers or people they meet through work.
Loneliness results in poor health, lower well-being and even depression. All of which are related to absenteeism, low motivation and performance as discussed in the article by Harvard Business Review linked above.
Leading with love in a time of the so-called loneliness epidemic will help people connect again, create meaningful relationships that eases loneliness and improves not only the culture in your organization and performance, but society at large.
During the past week we were chocked by two celebrity suicides while we also learned that suicide is increasing in the US. Perhaps this is the wake-up call we need to strive to create a more human-centered workplaces and cultures of inclusion.
We all have a need to belong, as Renee Brown has reminded us so well. Work is a place where we want to and need to feel that we belong. Leaders play a central role in developing a culture of belonging in the organizations they are entrusted to lead. The benefits are many, on multiple levels. How to do it? Here’s an interesting article: https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/company-culture/2017/employees-share-what-gives-them-a-sense-of-belonging-at-work