Do you love the people you work with? The people you lead?
You might be thinking, “Oh, there she goes again, all that Encourage the Heart stuff.” Or, “Love at work? Can’t I get fired for that?”
Some terrific business authors have written great books about loving the people you lead. Don’t be fooled; it’s not all rainbows and butterflies. Sometimes, love can be tough. Sometimes, love needs to be tough. Helping people be the very best version of themselves is a daunting responsibility and a loving toughness is required.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, love is certainly in the air. In that spirit, here are several tidbits about leadership and love.
Real leadership, in other words, is an extreme act rooted in love and motivated by a desire to create a better world – whether it’s the world of your company, team, neighborhood, or family. –Steve Farber, “Greater Than Yourself”
I want to encourage you to love your people.
Who are your people? Everyone who is important to you…your family…your friends…your colleagues…your customers, patietns, team, students.
And love? It’s care.
And care? It’s attention and contribution (what you give, what you do). It’s kindness, patience, generosity, truth. It’s encouraging, apologetic, forgiving, and thankful. –Sam Parker, GiveMore.com
You have got to love your people more than your position. –John Maxwell, The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader
And at the heart of leadership is caring. Without caring, leadership has no purpose. And without showing others that you care and what you care about, other people won’t care about what you say or what you know. As a relationship, leadership requires a connection between leaders and their constituents over matters, in the simplest sense, of the heart. It is personal and it is interpersonal. –Jim Kouzes, Barry Posner, Encouraging The Heart
Hope your Valentine’s Day is filled with love; even at work! Especially at work!
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Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.
