Love The People You Lead

In 2008 when Howard Schultz returned as CEO of Starbucks, he used a word that made many of his business associates uncomfortable. Love! Howard said his love for Starbucks inspired him to return as CEO and to help the company become the leader in their industry again. Legendary hall of fame football coach Vince Lombardi, arguably one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NFL, said: “I don’t necessarily have to like my players and associates, but as their leader, I must love them. Love is loyalty; love is teamwork; love respects the dignity of the individual. This is the strength of any organization. If you want to be a leader today, it’s not about whether you like people. If you’re going to be a leader today, you have to LOVE people, period.

Love is at the heart of leadership, especially servant leadership, and if we’re to thrive in our organizations and communities, we need a great deal more of it in our leadership today. According to Simon Sinek, “The leader who gets the most out of their people, are the leaders who care most about their people.”

In all my years of experience working in many organizations, I have never heard any of my former managers mention the word love, not once. So why is love such a taboo word in many organizations? According to Adam Meyer, an executive director of UCF’s Student Accessibility Services, we use the word “love” to reference many things in our daily lives and culture. For example, we love family, friends, pizza, ice cream, our favorite sports teams, and more.

So why can’t we love the people we work with? Love the people we lead, love the work our people are doing, and communicate that love through our actions and words. Lombardi was viewed as a hard-driving, tough football coach, for example, but one who loved his players dearly and was passionate about growing members of his team in a highly intimate and personal way.

 In Kevin Cashman’s article, The Three L’s of Leadership: Love, Listen, and Leap, Kevin had the opportunity to coach many of Lombardi’s former players who transitioned into their business careers, all of whom spoke about Lombardi in an entirely different light. Many of his players said, “I have never been so loved by someone outside my family. We all knew he would do anything for us...anything. We would go through walls for this man.” Lombardi earned the right to drive his talent to the limit because his intense drive was balanced by his equally fierce caring. According to Lolly Daskal, the most critical factor that differentiates a good leader from a great leader is LOVE.

"Great leaders truly care about those they are privileged to lead and understand that the true cost of the leadership privilege comes at the expense of self-interest." Simon Sinek

Yes, love! The best leaders want to be liked; they want openness from others; they want to be understood, appreciated, and communicated with. Leaders who do not care and are cold-hearted or cold-blooded are not very successful. When you Lead With Love, success follows, and one of the best chemistry a leader can have with their team is their genuine care and deep appreciation for every member of that team.

Managers can drive businesses, but what separates excellent companies from good ones are leaders who care. According to Fernando Vilas, these leaders inspire others to follow them, even in very adverse situations. Moreover, they are capable of transmitting a message to each person in their team, touching the most buried feeling inside of their people. They give purpose to the organization, explaining the personal reasons to achieve them instead of following an order from a manager.

They understand their employees’ needs, and they genuinely care about them. Not caring about them when they want something done or when it suits their interest or purpose, but genuinely caring irrespective of the situation. They give their team the importance they deserve by soliciting feedback and engaging their people in topics of a personal nature. They enter into real valuable dialogues that build a healthy relationship between the leader and their team.

A simple thing like asking how are you going, how’s your son or your daughter, how’s your mother or your father going. These simple things add tons of value to your leadership and develop a healthy bond between the leader and their team. One of the best places to begin leading with love is exhibiting patience and kindness toward other people (without forgoing accountability and expectations).

According to Adam Meyer, this is easier said than done; it is scary to think about intentionally putting your wants and needs behind others’ wants and needs. However, loving others and living for others is tremendously more rewarding since you cannot call yourself an inspirational leader if you do not genuinely care about every member of your team. You cannot lead if you do not love the people on your team.

In Dede Henley’s article, Three Ways Great Leaders Show They Care About Their Team; Henley shared a story about a large healthcare company with 74,000 employees that conducted a management development program for five days for all their clinic managers. The company’s CEO holds a “town hall meeting,” where he fields questions and shares whatever information is helpful. More importantly, he communicates, personally and individually, that he cares about every one of those 24 clinic managers.

How does he manage to connect in a meaningful manner with each of those managers? He asks his assistant to compile a document with each clinic manager’s photo, name, and important information about them — a son or daughter graduating, a recent surgery, a big win at work. Before he steps into the room, he memorizes this information. Once there, he can address every person by name and ask them about their lives. Doing this takes time and attention, but the impact is worth it. People felt genuinely cared about.

Now, is this CEO focused on results? Sure is. Is he focused on company growth? Ultimately, yes. But at that moment, his focus is on a different job entirely. His attention is focused on communicating with his team that he cares. And that’s your job as a leader too. To become an inspirational leader and to get the very best from your team, you must love your people and show that you genuinely care about them professionally as well as personally.

About The Author

Gifford Thomas is the founder of Leadership First and understands the challenges that many leaders face. Gifford is deeply committed to sharing the best inspirational quotes and articles to encourage and uplift every leader by providing a daily dose of inspiration to support you through your leadership journey.