Leadership L.O.V.E.

Happy (almost) Valentine's Day! I'm not usually a big fan of "Hallmark Holidays" and Valentine's Day has become one of the biggest, in my opinion. I love flowers, chocolate and jewelery as much as any female but find it disheartening that our husbands and lovers feel pressured to make a gesture of affection simply because of an arbitrary date on the calendar. Give me one spontaneous bouquet or a lifetime of selfless love over a box of chocolates on February 14th any time!

But the holiday has spurred my thinking around how love factors into effective and genuine leadership. If we remember that love is not always of the romantic variety but is a universal emotion that expresses a concern and respect for our fellow humans and the creatures we share this planet with then we can easily make the leap to studying how love impacts leadership. I would even risk saying that the best leaders are those who work from a place of loving intention with the highest good of all in their hearts.

So, for fun, here is how I see leadership love in action:

L is for loyalty. A truly loving leader is loyal to those who she leads. She considers what is best for them and acts accordingly. A leader that is loyal will inspire loyalty in return.

O is for ownership. Anyone who is not 100% vested in a company or cause cannot lead from a place of love. Does that mean the leader doesn't see room for improvements or changes? Absolutely not! But a true leader "owns" what they lead. It is part of their DNA and they wouldn't have it any other way.

V is for volunteer. A volunteer is a person who offers themselves for service without obligation to do so. This speaks to real leadership love which is servant leadership. A servant leader knows that you must serve those you lead, walk the walk, and be willing to be down in the trenches from time to time. That is love in action.

E is for enthusiasm. From the Greek "to be filled with God", enthusiasm is the result of letting joy flow through you into the work you do. A leader that is passionate and enthusiastic allows the unbelievable and unattainable to be both believable and attainable. "Miracles" happen in groups led by the enthusiastic leader.

So there really isn't a big leap from love to leadership. I think the two fit neatly together and that love should be truly an indispensable tool for a leader. What do you think?