Recently, I participated in a leadership retreat in historic Philadelphia that was set up by the author of the book The Heart-Led Leader, Tommy Spaulding. Tommy brought in Steve Farber, who authored the book The Radical Leap, to act as our facilitator and presenter. One recurring theme of the retreat was the value of loving what you do, loving who you work with, and loving the impact you’re making in the world. When you can achieve these objectives, love in the workplace becomes good business.
Candidly, as a Midwesterner, talking about “love” in the workplace conjures up visions of group hugs, a pervy boss, or uncomfortable conversations with HR. However you look at it, virtually everyone I know is typically nervous when we bring up the topic of love at the office.
Since the retreat, I’ve come to terms with talking about love; this came about when I realized that we already talk about love all the time. Typically, though, it’s in much more cavalier ways…but it’s still love. Think about a scheduled meeting with your favorite customer. It’s highly likely you’ve said something like, “I love that guy”. In other cases, when you talk with someone who likes what they do and enjoys going to work, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility to anticipate them saying (and really meaning), “I love what I do and truly love where I work.” There are also many people who will unapologetically state how much they love helping people or knowing that what they do has an impact.
In the retreat, we discussed how embracing love in the workplace can provide positive results. To reiterate, I’m not talking about group hugs; I mean to not be afraid of the word and to help your teams embrace love – in workplace terms.
Embracing and amplifying the notion of loving what you do, who you work with, where you work, and the effects you have on others is good business. Helping people discover what they love about the workplace changes their motivations from going to work to loving what they do. Productivity, efficiency, collaboration, communication, and profitability skyrocket as a result.
The next time you hear people on your team mention the word “love,” I’d encourage you to not brush it off; instead, embrace it, talk about it, and explore how you can amplify it.
Love in the workplace is good business.
Is your company lacking in the love department? Are you interested in learning how to incorporate, embrace, or strengthen the love within your business? We’re here to help! Contact us today to find out how.
Also, here are links to Tommy’s and Steve’s websites:
