Many people confuse management with leadership. Leadership is much more subtle and doesn’t necessarily come with titles. Respect is something that fills relationships where love is absent. Respect is something that you have to try to do, while love happens automatically.
Having employees that respect you is great. Many bosses would be happy with that. But workers that truly love you (and what you do for them), are the place that you want to be. When you operate on the principles of love in your organization, the whole universe falls into place for you.
But how, exactly, are you supposed to get your employees to love you? Well, it’s actually considerably simpler than you might think. Here’s what you need to do:
Trust Them With Their Freedom
Love isn’t about trying to chain people down and get them to conform to your will. Instead, it’s about helping them to become the best person that they can be.
The same principle applies to leadership. You’re never going to find the perfect worker. Everyone has their flaws. However, you’re much more likely to get the best out of them if you give them freedom and just let them get on with it. The vast majority of people will exceed your expectations.
Never Show Favoritism
As a business leader, you’re in a position of power over your employees, a bit like a parent. What you say matters much more than anyone else in the organization.
Be careful, therefore, to avoid showing any kind of favoritism. If you do that, then you’ll naturally turn some team members against you.
Leadership By Example
As the Daoist sage, Laozi once said, “the people cannot feel the weight of the best leader.” You want to be like this, leading by example instead of commanding like some dictator from on high.
Leading by example means doing the things that you expect your employees to do. If they see that you’re fully invested in the firm, they are much more likely to follow suit.
Show Them Appreciation
Couples whose love lasts for decades aren’t afraid to treat each other from time to time. Companies should take the same attitude, even if staff tenures are short.
Take employees on a company retreat and watch how they react. You’ll notice that they’re grateful for the opportunity to get out of the office and spend time relaxing with their colleagues. They’ll also thank you for it. They will associate the positive feelings they experience with your firm, encouraging them to stay with you longer.
Don’t Take Yourself Too Serious
Work can be so serious sometimes. However, it doesn’t have to be. In fact, you’ll notice that many of the world’s top firms run surprisingly relaxed offices. Workers aren’t just mindlessly tapping away on their computer keyboards all day; they’re laughing and chatting with each other.
Enlightened leaders know that if they treat work too seriously, the pressure will eventually get to their staff. Lightening the mood changes the atmosphere entirely. And it actually helps workers get more done. They’re not constantly stressed about making mistakes. Instead, they’re able to go with the flow of things.
