Wrote this post a while ago, but the relevance still resonates. It’s intended for the customer service rep. or the senior vice president of sales.
I’m always fascinated by organizations that appoint, or anoint, influencers (leaders) who don’t really love people. Yes, loving people is essential to leading people. For all of Corporate America’s talk of the importance of people, the results speak to a different reality. If asked, most workers would tell you that the organization’s leaders are focused on an audience of one…themselves. Don’t get me wrong, I am no populist, but those who influence should remember that power flows through them and not from them. Leaders need to use their power to love.
Some time ago, I was in a conversation with a friend who was involved in a management restructure. It was striking what she observed in the early days of that change. The leaders were very focused on the work and process. But sadly, they looked at the people as merely a means to an end. The tragic part was that they were unconscious of the message they were sending. The working dead at work. Being a part of the working dead is bad enough for the individual worker, but it is lethal when a leader of people falls asleep.
In the end, loving people will keep us focused on the what is most important. Loving the people we lead is the most important "thing" in any type of organization.