Love at Work
A reflection on what happens when organizations root everything in love.
I love love
I’ve narrowed in on a controlling vision for my work... Over the next decade we will show the world how organizations rooted in love can be the most powerful vehicle for transformation.
I know this sounds audacious, impractical, and unlikely. I also know that for many people this feels a little strange to talk about in a business context.
But I’m convinced this love thing is incredibly important for the best organizations of tomorrow.
I love what love does, and I believe our world needs a little (or actually a lot) more of it. I genuinely believe that when love takes root in the systems and structures of organizations (not just in the philanthropic output), they can become the most powerful and sustainable force of transformation in our world. Yes, I really mean the most.
What do I mean by love?
The word love sparks all kinds of associations. The kind of love I am talking about is not merely sentimental, abstract, or soft. It is transformational and redemptive.
As I've come to define it, love is a force that blesses people, renews the world, and sacrifices self-interest for the sake of others.
Defining Love at Work
Let’s unpack the three anchor points of this definition and what they might look like inside an organization:
Love blesses people. The aim of work shifts from extracting value to creating it. Decisions are measured by their ability to lift others up. Employees, customers, and communities. We begin asking questions like “Should this product even exist?” and “Is this actually helping?”
Love renews the world. The impact of our products and services is never neutral. Love restores what has been depleted and makes the world better than it was before. We start designing systems that put people ahead of efficiency and profit.
Love sacrifices. True leadership often costs something. It means choosing what is right over what is easy, and giving so others can flourish. We begin treating each person as a gift to be stewarded, not a resource to be used.
I really believe that loving organizations are the ones that actually win in today’s marketplace. They are what employees want to be part of, what customers choose to support, and what communities rally around. Love creates cultures people are drawn to, stories people share, and momentum that lasts.
The Effect of Love at Work
Overtime, when love becomes the heartbeat of a company, it will become:
Beautiful. Beauty stops us. It draws people in. Dr. Curt Thompson once said: “Beautiful things are a delight to the senses, a pleasure to the mind, and a refreshment for the spirit. They invite us in, capturing our attention and making us want to linger.” When organizations are built on love, their products and services carry this same kind of influence... it stops you in your tracks and makes you want to lean in.
Remarkable. When people encounter love, they talk about it. They tell the story, share the experience, and point others toward it. They can't help but tell others.
Defining. When you encounter love in action, it sets a new standard. It makes you say, “THAT is how it is supposed to be.” It becomes a reference point for everything that follows. You almost cannot go back to anything less.
That's real, tangible impact.... Products/services that are head-turning, customer/employee experiences that people talk about, and an overall impact that leaves people wanting more of it and less of the other options.
A Dose of Inspiration
We tend to remember our encounters with organizations that are rooted in love. I had this kind of experience hearing about Flow Automotive. These folks seem to have really let love change everything they are doing.
HERE is a quick video on their love at work story.
Turning Theory Into Practice
When you face a decision in your business, pause and ask yourself what the loving way forward would be. Inevitably the ideas that come to mind will have consequences. My pitch to you is to embrace that. See what happens. Measure what love does for your business.
Ask these three questions:
How can my work bless the people around me?
How can my work renew the world around me so it is better than I found it?
How can I sacrificially lead so that others win even when I do not?
Keep track of what happens when you do. That is your own redemptive ledger at work.
