What do you think is the most powerful force in business? Last Friday I tuned into John Maxwell’s annual leadership fest that is Live2Lead with top draw speakers on leadership. One of the speakers, Marcus Buckingham, asked some great questions about how to get the best out of people, around things like productivity, retention, quality work, and safety. How do you as leaders engage and inspire for this?
A commonly held belief is that what’s going on with your team outside of work should be left outside the door. The belief being that these things shouldn’t impact or affect your performance. The truth is you need whole people in your team which includes dealing with what might be affecting them outside work.
“People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”–John C. Maxwell
This quote from John Maxwell gives us a clue about this powerful force. Marcus, as a researcher, has gathered evidence showing unequivocally that love is the key factor in performance. Love is the most powerful force in business. It is that secret ingredient that brings greater performance to the organisation or team you lead. The best leaders understand you lead from a place of love and care for those you lead. This brings you to a place where you elevate the highest good of those you lead. The results in your team will be more engagement, productivity, and loyalty when you do.
Considering work takes up a substantial part of your life, would it not have more impact if things were done more lovingly? It sounds counter-intuitive and yet you know most of the time that when someone genuinely cares about you then there is more connection, engagement, and trust – all strong pillars for building high performing organisations.
Healthy leaders and healthy team members come from an environment where people love what they do. What do you really love?
Research the Mayo Clinic have undertaken shows how much love you need. It boils down to loving just 20% of your activities every day. 20% is not that high and yet the reality in many workplaces is people enduring work – unengaged and unchallenged.
The Impact of love in the workplace
In my own research for my book, I See You, I asked leaders, what role do you think love or
care for others plays in leading teams? Here’s what they had to say:
- “Vital – value team members for who they are means they will contribute more.”
- “Builds strong and effective teams.”
- “Fundamental people need to know you care about them.”
- “Key to a healthy culture.”
- “If you lack EQ it will put a lid on your leadership.”
What can you do as a leader to build a culture which in essence is more loving? This doesn’t mean soft. It does mean that challenge and risk is still there but done in a way which takes account of the highest good of the person in front of you.
1. Be Vulnerable – Choosing to be vulnerable and to exhibit humility actually increases your credibility (assuming mistakes are not habitual) as a leader. It means taking responsibility for when the team fails in some way as well as taking credit (collectively I hope) for the wins.
2. Be Human – Be yourself, show you are not able to do all things. Ask for help with those that are gifted in areas you are not. This gives permission to those you lead to bring their whole selves.
3. Build Trust – Love leadership builds deposits of trust in the team so that when things go sideways there is a reservoir of grace. Don’t be tempted to hide what has happened or blame others. Someone I think said once to err is human!
In my experience love has exponential results in the workplace in terms of higher performance. It doesn’t happen over night but is definitely worth the investment.
Book a discovery call here to find out how.
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