Love in Leadership Transforms Business Culture

“You cannot simply change an organization’s culture. What you can change are your own behaviors and your influence.”  -Jurgen Appelo

At the Be Human Project we work to uncover the hidden stories of what people are doing to transform businesses into something more human. We’ve found that the key in business is always focusing on the people. 

I have personally thought about this a lot, and I’ve realized that it all boils down to the leadership. In my research, I have found a specific thread of commonality between outstanding leaders.

As managers, leaders, or CEOs, it is important to analyze how our actions are affecting others. One must start with how your own behaviors and interactions will influence the organization’s culture in the long run. When leaders take on at least some of the responsibility of our employee’s happiness, they are truly loving their employees. 

So how do we become better leaders? Simply put, by expressing gratitude and loving the people around us. Be Human Project’s goal is to help businesses be like a person… and people need love! Recent psychological studies and scientific behavior has proven this when studying people at home and at work. When employees feel loved, your company will begin to transform. A kind word or a little encouragement will make employees or your team members feel valued, loved, and empowered. It may seem like a small thing, but the impact is paramount.

As a result of this, employees will feel needed and gain the confidence to be innovators, share their ideas, and will be intrinsically motivated to do their work. When the people are loved first, the rest will take care of itself. When others are able to call their work their own and are responsible for it, people start to care more about the caliber of their work. As a leader, you can inspire employees to go above and beyond, to create goals for themselves, and to even become leaders themselves. Your company will be more innovative, creative, and more forward thinking than ever before when employees feel empowered to speak up and share their ideas. A little encouragement can go a long way.

After reading Management 3.0 by Jurgen Appelo. I’ve found these ideas are reflected in his words on effective management and leadership. Implementing these ideas will ultimately make employees happier in the workplace. He writes about listening to other people’s ideas, analyzing your behaviors, treating employees with respect, communication over instruction, making a difference over making money, and knowing your employees well. We recommend this book! 

I’m interested what you have done to impact the culture of your company. How do you make your employees happier? What leadership techniques have you made your own, and what have you changed? Have you encouraged someone today? Feel free to comment below.

“You get the best out of employees when you treat them as entrepreneurs.” – Jurgen Appelo

-Elaina