Love, Leadership, and Business
Tiffanie Lord, Learning & Development Manager – Retail
For anyone who may think Love Leadership represents the soft side of leadership, let me assure you that it is not as easy as it sounds. In fact, it’s very hard. Being a command and control leader, issuing orders, and overpowering people isn’t difficult – and it isn’t leadership. Its coercion and a tactic commonly associated with 20th century leaders.
So, what does it mean to lead with love? When a leader leads with love, it is very apparent. It is not about the leader, or about what he or she commands from others. It is simply loving and believing in your people.
Love Leadership has been a concept for thousands of years. From early biblical examples such as Jesus, who today still has millions of followers, to early political love leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Both had a dream: to unite people with love. King believed that when you build relationships with people, you build empathy and a growing appreciation between one another. You are bound together by a mutual destiny!
There are also modern business love leaders who carry out similar beliefs. One modern love leader example is Howard Schultz, previous CEO to Starbucks. Schultz has a philosophy to ‘lead through the lens of humanity.’ He said, “In this ever-changing society, the most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart. They are real and sustainable. Their foundations are stronger because they are built with the strength of the human spirit, and not an ad campaign.”
With many leaders, both past and present, adopting on Love Leadership, business leader John Hope Bryant decided to expand on the concept with applicable takeaways. In his book, Love Leadership, Bryant outlines the five fundamental laws of Love Leadership. He says to fix the broken economic model of today, love-based leaders must focus on:
Creating a vision
Empowering people
Building real wealth, not just on getting rich
In a world where people are obsessed with success, Bryant makes the case that sustained success comes from leading with LOVE, not FEAR. Some key notions he covers in his book are:
Loss Creates Leaders: most great leaders lead others through the endurance of life’s trials. A rainbow is not born without a storm, that is, there can be no strength or inner growth without the pain of legitimate suffering.
Fear Fails: leading through fear is increasingly outdated and self-defeating. While it may prove to get immediate results, eventually people will leave your organization in pursuit of something else.
Love Makes Money: authentically connecting with people & building genuine relationships has the added benefit of increased opportunities, productivity, as well as long-term financial gain for all involved. According to Bryant, creating long-term relationships with customers, employees, and community is truly what makes you wealthy.
Vulnerability is Power: vulnerability is the door to your heart and grants great power to those who are strong enough to leave that door open. Real leaders understand that vulnerability is not a weakness. In fact, it can be your greatest strength. Vulnerability enables you to connect with people at a human level and to form authentic relationships. In doing so, people trust you and will be more willing to follow you.
Giving is Getting: giving inspires loyalty, attracts good people, and lies at the core of “true wealth.” Bryant stresses that the more you give as a servant leader, the more you get back. It starts with how you serve those who work inside your organization, and radiates out to others you serve as part of your mission. He stresses that people will only give the bare minimum by remaining in compliance with a boss’s demands, but will go above and beyond if they feel valued and taken care of.
People who lead by coercion will never empower people to peak performance over a sustained period of time. People will leave, performance will decline, and so will the organization. Many of us already have LOVE in our toolkits, but it’s a matter of applying it to our interactions with our customers, co-workers, and the people we lead. As leaders in the 21st century, we must define what we are recognized for.
