Leading with Love

Book excerpt: As business becomes more automated, power more concentrated, and the forces of competition and consumption seem to dominate our lives, we are in danger of losing what it is to be human. Work for many can be a soulless activity, creating feelings of disempowerment, alienation, and depression. Learning to lead with love is a counterforce to the instrumentalisation of the person. This book presents original research based on leaders who were nominated by their people for leading with love. It shows how they learned to lead with love for the benefit of themselves, their organisations, and their people. It shows that leading with love is something that is practised by leaders who are more emotionally, morally, and spiritually mature. Leading with love is a sign of psychological maturity, whilst leading with fear is a sign of hindered emotional and spiritual development. Based on this research, this book presents a simple framework to help leaders who wish to develop their psychological maturity and apply practices which will enable them to successfully lead with love.