When I work with anyone I introduce myself , the who I am, in terms of my key values. Leading with love is an absolute must for me.
Ultimately, we can consider if decisions we make are motivated by fear or love. In terms of love, this links with positive reinforcement, an intention to impact positively, even when challenging decisions have to be made, or in face of conflicting perspectives. If we lead with love in terms of intentional purpose to make a positive difference . We can be led by our intended aims and with a curious and developmental stance, even when we have to address difficult issues. The way we approach them is ultimately focused on what we know matters. We lead with an intrinsic motivation of making decisions around what we believe to be aligned to our values and morals.
When leading with an intention of values-driven love we maintain our sense of direction, our decisions and reactions can be led by a deep understanding of our purpose and what matters. We can consider risks with clear understanding and intentional focus. We can then develop key strategies that enable everyone to thrive.
Fear and love are closely linked , in terms of the roots of survival , but if we consider the motivation of fear, this is generally impacted by external forces . If we make decisions grounded in fear, whether a fear of judgement, what may or may not happen, or failure, we’re likely to limit our perspectives and develop a more reactive stance . In what becomes an urge to survive, ultimately, we may lose sight of what actually matters, lose a sense of alignment and disengage from purposeful action.
In short, we either freeze, take flight or end up in a cycle of fighting to stay afloat or survive , juggling an ever – changing list of priorities in an attempt to dance to the tunes of our fears.
In terms of packing our bags for leading with love, we can consider our toolkit. We need:
- to fill our purses with the currency of love, build relationships and nurture them.
- We need glasses that help us focus on our vision and values.
- We need a navigation tool… a phone or a map to help us stay on track, a clear destination , so when we face detours, we can make the best decisions.
- A phone and a pen to help us with communications … the best and timely options. Add in a notebook and we can research and consider robust evidence .
- I always have tissues… empathy for when we need to regroup and plan together .
- Some painkillers and my epipens, for use in emergencies, and to sustain even in tricky conditions.
- Keys… having the tools to lead through the right doors, spark travel in the right direction, and to lock away and keep safe anything we may or may not need along the way.
- There’s also always Lego in my bag… to aid creative and versatile decision making.
- Photo ID … wrapping all we do in our sense of identity and purpose . Even the colour of lipstick I choose may reflect my purpose and identity.
Preparing our bags of love can really support resilient and purposeful leadership .If you need to restock, or fancy a new bag, why not get in touch?
