Be a workplace Valentine

Be a workplace Valentine

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Why an article on Valentine’s Day on a business news website?

Because today is about L.O.V.E  love. That word isn’t spoken about much in businesses and workplaces but it should be.

Here’s three lessons in love that can benefit workplaces.

  • Love brings greater productivity

When business leaders and their staff love what they do, they are more likely to be creative and passionate and successful.  When your staff feel loved or valued at work they are more likely to be more loyal and productive. Make sure your staff are challenged, supported, valued and praised. Be a passionate about your role and business. Find out the passions of your team and align that passion to your business vision and goals. Explaining the why of your business can help staff to align their passion to love work a little more.

  • More tough love needed

I see a lot of business leaders failing because they don’t give tough love when they need to. They are either  too soft and get walked all over or too hard line.

My version of tough love doesn’t mean showing no mercy. On the contrary, you must introduce LOVE in the workplace. When you’ve successfully done that it is easier to have the tough conversations when necessary.

In my book and training course called Tough Love for Leaders I use eight ancient Sanskrit principles from my homeland in India that are very relevant for helping today’s leaders give tough love.

Introducing LOVE into the workplace doesn’t mean everyone holds hands all day or engages in inappropriate workplace relationships. (This is not the 1970s, man.) When you practice “vinoda” you bring fun and humour into the workplace. To introduce” vishwas” is to help create belief in your business vision and your staff. When you practice “prashansha” you are praising from the heart. In a workplace with “bolo”, people speak the truth.

With LOVE embedded in your business you can start to introduce the tough principles. “Dharma” means when you do your duty the wheel turns. Employees shouldn’t be worried about what other people are or are not doing. Leaders must help their staff to find their “asana” or their seat in the business to keep them focussed. “Thappar” is a metaphorical “slap on the wrist”. It is about calling poor behaviour early and letting staff know what is not acceptable in the workplace. Getting staff to understand “samaya” is getting them to understand the importance of time.

For staff who are still not performing despite training, mentoring, loving and support, it is time to help them to move on and do something they are passionate about or good at. Tough but fair.

  • Love yourself

To be a great business leader or employee you need to love yourself a little. Taking the time to get balance in your work and personal life will make you more productive and reduce the risk of burn out in the long run.  That’s the lesson from the announcement on planes about putting the oxygen mask on first before helping others.

Women in particular need to learn to love themselves more. Women are often not as good as men at marketing themselves in the workplace. You can’t sit passively waiting for someone to recognise the great work you are doing. Occasionally you have to remind people of the outcomes you are achieving, the value you are adding and make your career ambitions known. That is not “loving yourself”, it is just helping to get what you deserve.

If you are not working today then go and spend some time with the love of your life. Tomorrow, think about how you can bring some productive L.O.V.E into your workplace.

I’ll be talking about ways to put love and passion in the workplace for greater productivity at the Newcastle Business Club luncheon on 8 March 2016. I hope to see you there.

READER GIVEAWAY.  As a gesture of LOVE, Shivani is giving away a gift pack of her books Tough Love for Leaders and I Love Myself to a lucky reader. Click here to enter.

      

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