The Love Leadership "buzz"

Front Page Business Section

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Opinions Page with reader feedback

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Download PERSONAL EXCELLENCE November 2007 issue

Article by Gregg Cochlan page 4

Article by Ken Shelton page 17

Click cover to download pdf.

This was a note sent to the coordinator of a book club at the Saskatoon Public School Board, The group is reading my book on Love leadership.

Dear Dave,

Yesterday's meeting was very inspiring. As a Special Ed. Teacher I have endeavored to dispel ignorance around the students that I teach. I often find myself fielding questions around "what can those students possibly learn?" I begin to recite all the initiatives, and communication breakthroughs, sensory components, literacy focus and life skills we teach on a daily basis. I know I have grown as a leader because of the students I teach. They have taught me so much about courage, hope, faith and yes love. I still have a picture near my computer of a dear student who left this world too early because of a body that wouldn't function.

The love component at John Dolan is so evident. We have the privilege to work very closely with our students in a way that you couldn't in a regular classroom. I wouldn't be the person I am today without this rich experience.

I do desire to go beyond the classroom, at some point to share some of the things I have learned. Gregg only fueled it with what he had to say yesterday. It was Diane Van Hesteren (former principal) that encouraged me to come to work at Dolan. She saw something in me, that I certainly didn't see, and she was a person who would tell me how she appreciated my style. Often I would find a card in my mailbox that would reduce me to tears. She was an example of "love leadership" in action. I believe it is an important quality that all administrators need. As a teacher we give physically, emotionally and spiritually. It helps a tremendous amount when you know your administrator is behind you 100%, and that you aren't alone. Kudos to you! You recognized the need, and took the initiative to do something about it. Leadership always flows from the top down. It is exciting for me to see it being addressed.

Regards,
Brenda Bornyk
Senior Program
John Dolan Schoo

Subject: great read

Gregg, I want to tell you how much I enjoyed your book. Very insightful and caring, neither of which surprises me considering the author. You are no doubt ahead of the curve when it comes to people being comfortable with using the word "love" at work but as you so well put it, there are many doing it now, we just don't say it

Your carefully chosen words and profound thinking will inspire others as you have me.
I feel a bit like Abou Ben Adhem, a character in a poem my dad used to recite when we were kids, we are far from perfect but we are progressing.

Thanks my friend.

Randy Brown
V.P Business Development
Westoba Credit Union Ltd.

A little love goes a long way
A new perspective on leadership styles
By Jennifer Openshaw

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Holiday time always makes me think about family and relationships. But how do those relationships, and relationship skills, "relate" to what I do in business? A new book sheds some light.

Now, in my profession as a financial expert and columnist, I get lots of things to read from lots of people. Some of it is good, while a lot is pretty darned ordinary.

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But just a month ago I got one worth sharing. At first it struck me as yet another of those follow-this-formula-and-everything-will-be-fabulous management books. Small book, plain white cover, evidently self published -- usually not a good sign.
And the title didn't say much to me either: "Love Leadership -- What the World Needs Now."
I actually think what the world needs now is a clean-energy equivalent of about 100 billion barrels of oil. I think what the world needs now is a way to settle centuries-old religious conflicts and a way to bring earned prosperity to those who have never experienced it.
Love leadership? It just sounded a little too "groovy" to have any real meaning.
I read it anyway. It's a concise, 134-page read with some very rich -- and yes, practical --observations and conclusions about leadership and management style. I was surprised.
"Love Leadership" is written by Gregg Cochran, a self-styled leadership coach and management-change consultant working closely with the Pacific Institute, a leadership and management think tank. The seeds of "Love Leadership" came to Cochran while -- of all things -- working as a line supervisor for SaskTel, the Saskatchewan telephone company.

Love leadership principles
Here are the two guiding principles, straight from the book:

1. You must enter one's intellect through emotion. Although "knowledge is power," feelings are more effective than facts, and affecting feelings engenders a deeper, more memorable experiential process than simply imparting information.

2. Respect for the unconditional protection of the dignity of the individual is how you get there. Treat others with respect and you'll get respect. Love others, and they will love you back, and just as in any other relationship, it makes everything else work.

Cochran goes on, in Covey- esque "Seven Habits" style, to lay out eight attributes of a love leader. A one-minute summary:

1. Authenticity.
Builds trust and respect, but also "gives [your] people permission to be authentic.

2. Vulnerability.
Not a "weakness" but a "measure of the degree of trust you have in other individuals.

3. Principle-centeredness.
Not just "values" -- values like teamwork can be implemented differently by different companies and cultures. Strong principles and ethics bring trust.

4. Good beyond self.
The "deepest meaning" of love.

5. Courage.
Originally from Mahatma Gandhi: "Power is of two kinds; one obtained by the fear of punishment, the other by acts of love." Think about how your own loving relationships help overcome fear and anxiety.

6. Fearlessness.
The result of courage. Love helps remove the fear of failure.

7. Abundance.
Drop the usual "scarcity" mentality. It takes away limitations, encourages subordinates to find win-win solutions

8. Mentorship.
Good leaders are good followers, and good followers become good mentors, because they know what followers need.

Barriers to love leadership

You might rightly ask: If this works so well, why don't we see more of it? Cochran attributes a lot of it to older "machismo" male patterns and inability to talk in terms of, or act in terms of, love in public situations.

Here's what I think: although it's changing, women probably come more naturally to this concept than men. So women have an advantage. But men are catching up fast, and we see more effective leaders on large stages (maybe not all the right stages) practicing some form of love leadership.

Love leaders around us

Cochran observes that Bill Clinton and the contemporary Jimmy Carter have many of the characteristics of a love leader. In business, he also cites Southwest Airlines co-founder Herb Kelleher, who created a "love" culture centered not just on employees but also customers.

I submit that Abraham Lincoln also fits the model. And who can forget South Pole explorer William Shackleton? In fact, I recommend "Shackleton's Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer" (Penguin, 2002) as another read, essentially on love leadership, and how it works under extreme duress.

It may surprise some, but even the master of today's investing universe, Warren Buffett, is apparently a love leader. In fact, Cochran opens the book with the Buffett quote: "Wouldn't it be great if we could buy love for $1 million? But the only way to be loved is to be lovable. You always get back more than you give away... There's nobody I know who commands the love of others who doesn't feel like a success. And I can't imagine people who aren't loved feel very successful."

Wow. That made me stop and think before I even read the book. Love leadership naturally extends family experience and practice into the workplace. Sounds simple, but I know from experience how easy it is to get away from that idea.

I say, the sooner we, as leaders and managers, can set aside the old stuff and let loving principles guide our style, the better.

Jennifer Openshaw is the author of " The Millionaire Zone," CEO of Family Financial Network, and executive director of Debt and Credit Advisors. She hosts ABC Radio's Winning Advice, appears regularly on the Fox Business Network, and serves as an adviser to some of America's top corporations. You can reach her at jopenshaw@themillionairezone.com

Happy New Year Gregg.

I absolutely needed to read your book which I did over the holidays out on the land. We spent a few days at our trapline and I read your book Love Leadership from cover to cover in a very short time because I found it to be so encouraging and real.

Your book has inspired me to keep on keeping on even when the going gets challenging. I have shared my teachings from your book with others in leadership positions here in Sandy Bay.

I would love to have you come up to work with us in Sandy Bay one of these days Gregg. I will stay in touch. Thanks as well for the CD's you gave me.

Thanks again for the book and the inscription. I needed to hear that and will continue to tell others about the valuable teachings that I learned. Keep up the good work Gregg.

In friendship,

Ina
Mayor Sandy Bay

Dear Mr. Cochlan

Here's hoping your email address found on the infamous internet is accurate. After reading your book "Love Leadership" I felt inspired to briefly share my story with you. I have been on a personal leadership journey for the past six years. Completing the one-year Leadership Edmonton Program (http://www.leadershipedmonton.com) three years ago inspired me to continue on whereby now I am currently completing the Masters of Education Studies (MES) Program in Leadership and School Improvement at the University of Alberta (http://www.mes.ualberta.ca). I am intrigued by the contents of Love Leadership and how it relates to where I am at and what I am doing. My chosen research project is an autoethnography in hopes of capturing the essence of my leadership journey as a first year principal. What I have come to learn from reading Love Leadership is that although my research is focused on my personal leadership journey as a first year principal I am able to recognize its overflow into other domains and aspects of my life beyond my role as a principal. How I came to own a copy of Love Leadership. In October 2007 our school hosted three visitors from Saskatoon Public Schools who were researching our school and its unique approach to Indigenous Education. After a wonderful three days with our guests, the principal of Pleasantview Community School, Kevin Epp, gifted me with his personal autographed copy of Love Leadership with the inscription: "TJ, Love Leadership is alive at MECCS!" Kevin noted that there was an administrative group reading and working through Love Leadership as part of their staff development. Not having an idea of what Love Leadership entailed, I was intrigued by his inscription and was determined to read it sooner than later. Reading the book. On December 21, 2007 as I was last minute packing for our holiday to Mexico I grabbed Love Leadership and threw it in my backpack thinking that if there was ever a time to give my undivided attention to this intriguing book; it would be now. As a person who loves learning yet struggles to read 'for fun' I found myself on the beach engaged from cover to cover. I truly believe that things happen for a reason and by the end of Chapter 2 it was clear that I was meant to receive and read this book at this particular time in my life. As a student studying leadership and consciously observing my own leadership style, I had been struggling to identify myself within the traditional leadership labels. Understanding and fully aware that I am in no way shape or form a perfect Love Leader, I am finally able to identify and name that this is clearly who and what I am and am striving to be. With continual reflection I am able to look back and foresee the challenges faced by being a Love Leader. What specific experience I have is that a Love Leadership style is not openly received nor is it easily adapted to. I have faced extreme ridicule, scrutiny, discrimination and even dismissal for being authentic, genuine and openly displaying a Love Leadership style. Despite such obstacles, I believe I have grown enormously from these experiences and they have helped shaped who I am today and who I will become tomorrow. I am committed to strive to become a more reflective, effective, efficient, and caring Love Leader within my family, career, and community circles and will continue to challenge others to have the courage to do the same. One of the many realizations I had during the course of the book is that within any organization or business environment there needs to exist a 'readiness level' and 'open mindedness' by the majority in order for a concept and style i.e. Love Leadership, to truly take hold, stick and solidify the foundation within an organization. I also understand that not every organization is ready for Love Leadership and that timing is often of the essence. However, that being said, I know Love Leadership can move mountains and I fully agree that Love Leadership is 'What the World Needs Now'. The next step is to create a broader awareness and appreciation for Love Leadership. Therefore, it would be my hope in sharing my brief story with you that both Leadership Edmonton and the MES program have an opportunity to hear you speak and present your book with the desire to have it incorporated into their curriculum. I owe a great deal to Leadership Edmonton and the MES program for the impact they have had on my leadership journey and I would be remiss if I opted out in contacting you and missed the opportunity to connect you with these two amazing programs anticipating that this connection might open doors for others to access the knowledge and wisdom contained within Love Leadership. I also owe great thanks to Kevin Epp for his selfless generosity in gifting me with his personal copy of Love Leadership. Without Love Leadership, my autoethnography would have been incomplete. Congratulations on the release of Love Leadership and all the best to you in all your future endeavors. In kind spirit, TJ Skalsk

PS. I would appreciate knowing where copies of Love Leadership can be obtained as there are many with whom I would like to share.

TJ Skalski
Box 63, Site 260,
RR2 Stony Plain, Alberta T7Z 1X2

January 8, 2008

Reference Cochlan, G. (2008). Love Leadership. New Voices Press, United States.