What's love got to do with it?

By George Gates, President, Core-R.O.I. Inc

ATLANTA, June 17, 2008 (Viewpoint) - "I think I started maturing as a manager when I discovered that one of the oldest principles of organizational management was hogwash. That principle is stated in many ways, but the military guys used to put it best: 'Nobody gets special treatment here.' " – James A. Autry

One of my close friends is retiring after 42 years as a teacher and principal. She said to me recently, "From the time I knew I was re-retiring, I have had an overwhelming desire to tell the world how I feel about teachers." To do just that, she wrote for a publication, a piece describing the positive, life-giving colleagues with whom she's worked, and the challenges they face daily. She concludes, "I've been blessed by meeting and working with teachers who love children. What a legacy! Is there a better place to be than among people who truly love children?" Her question got me thinking about the workplaces where I've been and the hundreds of people I've met in those workplaces. Not all of them, of course, but those who stand out, even years later. What is it, I wondered, that makes them memorable? It's certainly not their title or status. It's not their brilliant intellects or their sparkling personalities. I've met my share of queen bees and drones, shooting stars and dim bulbs. No, I remember vividly those who connect with people. I don't mean "people" in general or people as "human resources." I mean those who connect with individual persons, and care deeply about their lives, hopes and aspirations. Loving others in the workplace is not the exclusive province of teachers and children. I recall most those who love without apology.

One of my favorite business books is James Autry's Love and Profit: The Art of Caring Leadership, a collection of practical advice, personal reflections and "how-to" pointers. Autry, a successful Fortune 500 executive, startled me years ago with the premise of his book, rooted in his experience. He unabashedly trumpets the need for love in the workplace. Even more startling to me at the time: he makes no apology for his belief that love and profit, the be-all measure of business success, are inextricably bound. The notion no longer startles me. It seems obvious.

Love and profit? I can almost hear the skeptics sneering, "Get real." So, what would be the impact on your workplace if everyone worked with passion and felt a deep connection to the organization, eager to move it forward? Conversely, what if they were basically "checked out," putting in their time but not their energy? Or worse, suppose those same people weren't just disgruntled themselves, but actively worked to undermine

everything. That's the difference between people who are engaged, not-engaged and actively disengaged. The impact on the bottom line, I suspect, would not be hard to measure.

According to a recent Gallup Management Journal semiannual Employee Engagement Index, the current percentage of truly "engaged" employees is 29%. A 54% majority are in the "not engaged" category. The "actively disengaged" comprise 17% of employees. And what makes the biggest difference? It is the depth, sincerity and quality of their relationships with peers and bosses alike. So many people are disengaged from their jobs, from the workplaces where they spend a third of their lives because of negative—or non-existent—workplace relationships.

My friend's retirement thoughts sent me searching for my dog-eared copy of Autry's book. I rediscovered in it a one-page reflection called "Threads" that includes these words:

Sometimes you just connect,
Like that,
No big thing maybe
But something beyond the usual business stuff.
It comes and goes quickly
So you have to pay attention...
Listen.
In every office you hear the threads of love and joy and fear and guilt,
The cries for celebration and reassurance,
And somehow you know that connecting those threads
Is what you are supposed to do
And business takes care of itself.

Call it what you like: "caring managerial relationships" or perhaps "positive personal interactions." I prefer "connecting and engaging with people." What's love got to do with it? Maybe everything.

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