When you think of love, you may not think of leadership. However, February is the month of love.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. And, at least for part of February, I wanted to take a look at the ways leaders can lead with love.
Photo by Christopher Beloch on Unsplash
Love doesn’t have to be mushy. Love can be firm, strong, and resilient. Love can also be an excellent tool for a leader to use.
But… Just how or why does a leader lead with love?
I found five leaders who are leading with love (there’s more, of course) and I wanted to share their thoughts with you as we enter into February.
Leading With Love
Jill Ratliff:
Jill shared a great article on Real Leaders (not to be confused with Reel Leadership) about leading with love. Number 4 in her list stuck out to me.
We can lead with love by asking different questions. Jill suggests we ask people how they’re feeling rather than how they are doing.
It’s a simple shift on the age-old question that brings to light different answers.
By asking how people are feeling, you can get a sense of where they’re really at. Instead of hearing the projects they’re working on or the things they’re doing, you will get to hear how they’re doing.
Gabrielle Bernstein:
Sometimes, leaders can become stuck in fear mode. They can’t move past it to a love mode.
In her book, Super Attractor, Gabrielle shares how to move from fear to love. She calls this the choose again method.
The steps in the Choose Again Method are: Notice the thought, Forgive the thought, and Choose again. While this may not sound like love, there is a component of love to this method.
In choosing to forgive and choose again, you’re showing love. Love to yourself, your organization, and the people you lead.
Lolly Daskal:
In her article about Lead With Love, Lolly states the following: To lead from love is to understand at a deeper level how to bring out the best in people.
Love isn’t about the wishy-washy feeling so many young couples feel. Instead, leading with love is looking to understand people at a deeper level.
You go beyond the surface. You dig deep. And you begin to understand and bring out the best in people.
Natasha Bonnevalle:
In another article, Natasha talks about ways to show love in the workplace. She has excellent points, but one sticks out more than any of the others two me.
Way number 2 is what shook me.
Natasha reminds us to remember we’re all flawed. We are not perfect. That’s okay.
Knowing that I am not perfect means it is easier for me to accept the mistakes of others. And, in turn, them to accept the flaws in me.
Remember, you’re not perfect. It’s okay. Neither are the people you lead. Accept it and grow from it.
The Center For Compassionate Leadership:
This center wrote another fantastic article on leading with love. In it, they make the point that love helps the company succeed.
Love causes us to care for others. In caring for others, the people we care for will see improvements in their family, life, and working conditions.
What happens then?
The Center For Compassionate Leadership says:
Teams produce more. Employee satisfaction rises. Employee turnover declines. Teams operate more creatively. It certainly makes sense. When people are worried about their safety and security, they are distracted and operate from fear. However, when people feel seen, heard, and respected, they flourish individually as well as contribute wholeheartedly to the organization.
Love is a powerful tool. It is one every leader must learn to harness and live out.
Begin loving your team today.
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