Across all industries, employees who feel loved at work are more engaged, satisfied, and productive. They work better in teams, are absent less often, and are more committed to their organizations. This isn’t (just) common sense; it’s the finding of a longitudinal study (and follow-up study) conducted by researchers from Wharton and George Mason University, who published their results in the HBR piece Employees Who Feel Love Perform Better.
Yet, love is rarely explicitly expressed in most workplaces. Why?
“Strong emotions get a bad rap in the business world,” says Chris Edmonds, author of The Culture Engine: A Framework for Driving Results, Inspiring Your Employees, and Transforming Your Workplace. “Yes, leaders must set a tone that’s professional. But openly expressing love for their people doesn’t undermine that responsibility. It can actually help satisfy it. When employees feel loved, they’re less likely to behave in ways that are unprofessional toward one another; in ways that are dismissive and demeaning. Love is a core element of a culture that’s purposeful, positive, and productive.”
This Valentine’s Day, how can leaders show love to their employees – and encourage the appropriate expression of love – throughout their organizations? According to Edmonds, through falling back on a good old-fashioned acronym for LOVE:
• Language: Make a habit of talking openly about positive emotions like love. Set a new tone in which authentic human emotions are embraced in your workplace. (“Here’s what I love about how you handled that situation…”)
• Optimism: Be optimistic about how your people make clients’ lives better every day. Tell stories about your organization’s servant purpose in action, using words like “love” to describe the effect employees’ efforts have on the customer experience. (“Our customers love us when we knock it out of the park!”)
• Validation: Look for the good. Recognize and praise ideas and efforts… not just accomplishments. It takes nine times the praise to offset one zinger! Instead of demeaning, discounting, or dismissing, be a source of grace and gratitude. (“I love the initiative you took. You made it clear how much you have to offer to this team.”)
• Excellence: Leaders must not leave the quality of their work culture to chance. Formalize desired culture with an organizational constitution. Make values – how people treat one another on a daily basis – as important as the work itself.
Through investing time and energy to embed love into their cultures this Valentine’s Day, leaders can help their people feel genuinely appreciated and valued; feelings that last far longer – and have far greater impact – than a dinky box of chocolate.
Chris Edmonds is a sought-after speaker, author, executive consultant, and founder and CEO of The Purposeful Culture Group. After a 15-year executive career leading high performing teams, Chris began his consulting company in 1990. ,Chris is one of Inc. Magazine’s 100 Great Leadership Speakers. Chris is the author of the Amazon best seller The Culture Engine, the best seller Leading At A Higher Level with Ken Blanchard, and five other books. Visit his website at www.drivingresultsthroughculture.com.