Love in the Workplace?!?

There is a difference between: loving someone, being in love, loving someone you don’t like, loving someone you are still in love with or someone you used to be in love with, love…like a strong passion for something, there are acts of love in a relationship, acts of love outside of relationships, and the general love for all people (and probably others I have left off the list.)

If there is a difference between leadership and a leader, there is a difference between being in love, like with a romantic overtone, and the love we can have for people of all kinds. Reality is, there is a lot of fear behind using this word, like the words conflict or grieving…it’s like being a 15 year old boy trying to use the word beautiful… it just isn’t in his vocabulary and won’t come to his mind (if it did he wouldn’t likely say it.) Here are 10 ways we demonstrate and succeed with “love” in the workplace but call it something else:

1. Give and Ask, don’t Take and Tell

2. Bearing witness (deep listening) to someone grieving or in extreme joy

3. Including people when they are not otherwise chosen

4. Providing a non-judgmental space to be heard

5. Doing something helpful for someone before being asked

6. “Paying it Forward” when there is no reason to do so

7. Helping others when we ourselves are hurting

8. Listening to understand and not to problem solve, truly being present (which is our present!)

9. Recognizing and avoiding shame, blame and guilt

10. Empathy and using our Emotional Intelligence

So LOVE in the workplace is …just that. Someone who expresses an action, a thought, a communicative gesture that comes from a deeper place of wanting to help. It is just that, an expression or action of gratitude, appreciation, humility or compassion without any expectation in return.

Have a great week!

Much love and all my best to you!

Dave