REFLECTION: Love Leadership. It’s an odd juxtaposition of words not commonly paired together. And, no, it doesn’t describe how to take the lead in improving life with your significant other. Love Leadership – What The World Needs Now is the title of a book on organizational leadership authored by Gregg Cochlan. 

In short, Gregg’s message is that in contrast to the old-style command and control style of leadership, letting colleagues know they are loved and cared for is a major step towards driving fearfulness out of the workplace. When fearfulness ‘leaves the building’, people no longer tremble in the corner or cower in their boots, preoccupied with assuring their own safety. Instead, they face challenges and step forward with confidence. As a result, performance, engagement, and satisfaction grow significantly.

It’s an interesting premise – the success of which Gregg illustrates in his many examples of  leaders who have worked hard to build organizations in which people know they matter and understand that they are appreciated for who they are as well as what they do.

ACTION:  Think about whether some of these practices are part of your everyday approach to leadership in the various arenas of your life (work, community and family):

* Are you authentic in your interactions with others – genuine and trustworthy?

* Do you let your vulnerability show? Are you open to letting others see the real you – fears, warts and all?

* In the face of conflict, are you able to remain open and curious – curbing run-away emotions and avoiding premature judgments?

And here’s a question to ask yourself in times of uncertain action: How would I approach this situation if I were acting out of love?

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “The only way to lead when you don’t have control is to lead through the power of your relationships. You can deal with the unknown only if you have enormous levels of trust, and if you’re working together and bringing out the best in people.” – Margaret Wheatley

RESOURCE OF THE WEEK: Gregg will be one of several speakers at the upcoming University of Saskatchewan Leadership Conference 2009 to be held in Saskatoon on May 12 & 13. Stephen R. Covey will be keynoting the event with his thoughts on Leading At The Speed of Trust. Also featured are David Stillman and Lynne Lancaster, authors of ‘When Generations Collide’. For more conference details and to register for this most excellent event visit: http://www.learntolead.usask.ca/leadershipconf.html

READERS WRITE: In response to last week’s Pause message, Taking Care of Business, AJ from Zimbabwe writes: “I think flexibility built into the job is essential because of the “fire-fighting” challenges of today’s workloads, but to ensure ethical behaviour one must discuss this flexibility with the boss beforehand.  There must be a mutual understanding and agreement to irregular workdays and a heads up on plans to take informal time off so as not to appear to abuse the system.”