The opposite of love isn’t hate; it’s indifference.
Indifference says, “I don’t care about you. You mean nothing to me.” At least if someone hates you, they’re thinking about you. They care about you, though in a negative way. Hate may hurt, but indifference erases. As a leader, you must love your people.
This doesn’t mean you need to fall in love with your employees—that’s romantic love. This isn’t about affection, being their best friend, or their therapist. It’s about genuine gratitude and care. It’s your way of saying, “I love you.” I appreciate everything from your presence on our team to the hard work you do, your positive attitude, the care you show our customers, and your commitment to delivering excellence.
I have seen too many leaders who are indifferent about their employees.
They don’t care about them. All they want is for them to do their work. I’ve consulted to several companies with only a few hundred employees, yet the CEOs barely knew anyone beyond the senior managers. And even then, they knew little about them as people. They didn’t care.
Some senior leaders I’ve worked with managed organizations with branches selling goods and services. One leader I knew had 10 branches within 40 miles of headquarters. He visited each branch for one hour a year. That clearly says, “I don’t care about you.” Why didn’t he swing by more often? Each branch had just five or six employees. He likely drove past three of those branches daily on his way home. It’s offensive. Why not bring donuts for the team and flowers for the reception desk? A simple gesture like that would have said “I love you enough that I brought you these delicious donuts and beautiful flowers and I’d like to spend some time chatting with you.”
When you show your employees you ‘love’ them—by caring about them as people, valuing their contributions, and recognizing their efforts—they become more committed to the company’s success because you’re committed to theirs. But if you show up once a year for an hour and don’t know their names, you’re telling them they don’t matter. I know which one works better. So do you.
Love your employees, or lose the best ones. Show genuine care or create a culture of indifference.
Care costs nothing; indifference costs everything.
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