This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
—John 15:12
Not a single business school in the U.S. offers a course in love. And while business school curriculums do list a variety of leadership studies, the subject of love is not discussed. Yet Jesus, the greatest leader ever, advocated that we should love each other. These were not idle words–Jesus commanded it. This was his last command before ascending to heaven.
Rarely is love a topic of discussion in business circles, especially among Fortune 500 companies. Over the years, I attended many leadership seminars, and not once do I recall the subject of love on a program. Admittedly, railroad and overnight freight delivery managers are macho guys; certainly they’re not what you’d call warm and cuddly. Just the same, good leadership principles apply to all fields, whether you’re managing day-care providers or NFL football players.
The first letter of John in 1 John 4:7-12 tells us to love each other because love comes from God. Those who do not love, do not know God, whose love was revealed to us when he sent his son into this world to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. And while no one has ever seen God, if we love one another, he lives through us and his love is perfected in us. This scripture lets us know that we are put on this earth to love one another. My love for my fellow man isn’t confined to my immediate family. Knowing that God is in me, I have an unlimited supply of love. So great is this supply that I can love everywhere, including the workplace.
I don’t try to hide my love at WWT. I love our employees, our vendors, and our customers. I confess I don’t go around blurting out to people how much I love them–not that anything’s wrong with that. However, many people in today’s society aren’t ready to hear it said out loud. So instead, I declare my love for them through my actions. I am here to serve them, and they know it. Their needs come first, before mine. This explains why I made sure my employees never missed a paycheck when we had severe cash flow problems, even though I had to skip a few of my own.
I express my love by showing my people respect–for instance, by my willingness to listen to them. I demonstrate how much they mean to me by inviting them to share my vision and my dreams. I provide opportunities for advancement. I display my care for them by making sure our company stands for quality and integrity in every aspect of our business. I value the company’s reputation, understanding that each of their reputations is on the line with mine. These actions express my love for our people.
The above are intangibles, but there are also many tangible expressions of love at WWT. We have a wonderful health-care plan for our employees and their families, 90 percent of which is paid for by the company. And since we are concerned about their future after they retire, for the past six years the company has matched–dollar for dollar–the money employees put into their 401(k) plans. Likewise, our compensation plan is set up to reward their contribution to the company’s success.
We treat our people as though they are family, and we treat their families like family, too. This was our motivation to extend exceptional health-care benefits to their families. Additionally, throughout the year, we have family-oriented events including barbecues and parties. Our suites for professional baseball, football, and hockey games are always filled with our people and their family members. And we always feed them well at these events. When we treat them to a good time, we do it first-class. That’s because we think they deserve the best we can give them.
A good leader demonstrates his love for his people through his fairness in his decision making. This is illustrated in one of my favorite biblical stories, 1 Kings 3:17-27. This scripture gives an accounting of how King Solomon judiciously handled a delicate situation when two women went to him to solve a dispute. The two women lived in the same house and both had claimed giving birth to a son. One infant died at childbirth; and now each mother claimed the surviving child was hers. After King Solomon heard each woman insist that she was the rightful mother, he called to a servant to bring his sword to him. He then said, “Divide the living boy in two; then give half to one, and half to the other.” Immediately, one of the women cried out, “Please, my lord, give her the living boy, do not kill him.” The other said, “It shall be neither mine or yours; divide it.” With this demonstration, the king said, “Give the baby to the first woman. She is the mother.”
Like King Solomon, there are times when a good leader must select one individual over another to promote. In such cases, diplomacy prevents bitterness. This is akin to a parent who is in the awkward circumstance of having to favor one child over another: a mother must decide which child will receive a one-of-a-kind family heirloom; a father of two has only one extra ticket for a football game, and so on. In all such cases, a good leader, or a good parent, must act so that everyone’s dignity is preserved.
In Galatians 5:6, it is written, “The only thing that counts is faith working through love.” How true. Faith is based on love. My people know I put them first. From where I stand, their best interests come before everything else, including my own. They know I am there for them and I do everything I possibly can for their benefit. Serving them is my number-one priority. I commit myself to keep their careers intact, safe, and secure. When you do this for people, they respond by being loyal, caring employees. Who says love doesn’t belong in the workplace? I know it does. I’ve been blessed by being able to express love to my people–in many ways–and it is being returned to me in kind.
