February 12, 2026

Needless to say ,you can love people without leading them ,but you can not lead them without loving them”

John Maxwell

Bringing your best self to leadership means leading with love—and in today’s workplaces, that has everything to do with connection, engagement, well-being, and results.

What Has Love Got to Do With Leadership?

Valentine’s Day is almost here, which makes this a timely moment to talk about love, not just in our personal relationships but also in how we lead. We spend a significant portion of our waking hours at work, and much of that time is invested in relationships with colleagues, teams, and clients. When those relationships lack care and genuine concern, the environment becomes draining and disengaging, as global employee data continues to show.

Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report links low well-being with low engagement and productivity and highlights the outsized role managers play in how people feel at work. Employees who believe their employer cares about their well-being are far more likely to stay, to be energized, and to thrive in their lives overall. In other words, as Theodore Roosevelt reminded us, people really do care more about how much you care than how much you know.

Clarifying What We Mean by “Love”

Many leaders hesitate to use the word “love” at work, fearing it sounds too soft, sentimental, or unprofessional. To some leaders, it may seem a bit like the 1984 Tina Turner song “What Has Love Got to Do With It?” That hesitation often reinforces command-and-control mindsets and the “tough boss” myth that equates distance with strength. Yet a growing body of leadership thinking and practice insists that love and leadership are inseparable.

Love can be understood as a profound, multifaceted commitment characterized by deep care, support, and a willingness to act for another’s well-being. Servant leadership frameworks similarly describe love as extending yourself to identify and meet others’ legitimate needs and seek their greatest good. Across faith traditions—from the Bible to the Qur’an—love is foundational language, and leaders such as Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. demonstrated how love, expressed through courage and service, can transform societies.

Modern leadership research echoes this. The authors of Most Loved Workplace note that when leaders show love, they create workplaces where people feel safe, supported, and motivated, marked by respect for differences, empathetic listening, and a commitment to what matters most to each person. Marcus Buckingham argues that love is central to sustained performance: when people have no love for any part of their work, creativity, innovation, and resilience suffer.

Why Love Matters for People and  Results

Leading with love is not about being permissive or avoiding hard decisions; it is about creating the conditions where people can do their best work. Love-driven leadership reduces stress, lowers burnout risk, and builds psychological safety, which are all crucial for modern teams. Organizations that signal genuine care for employees’ well-being see stronger engagement, better retention, and higher productivity.

The U.S. Army’s own leadership doctrine recognizes this. In his “Love and Leadership” article for the NCO Journal, Sgt. Maj. Anson C. Jordan Sr. connects love with core Army values and the “People First” strategy, describing how leaders who know their people, place their needs above their own, and embody patience, kindness, and commitment create stronger, more professional units. Love, in this context, is a disciplined, values-driven commitment—not sentimentality.

Similarly, in the business world, Most Loved Workplace’s work shows that cultures built on care and respect strengthen loyalty, collaboration, and performance, while fear-based cultures erode trust. This aligns with broader workplace well-being research that finds employees who strongly agree their organization cares about their overall well-being are dramatically less likely to be job searching and far more likely to be thriving.

To make love in leadership practical, you can use the L.O.V.E. framework as a simple guide:

• L – Love yourself and others. Care for yourself so you can sustainably care for others, and be fully present with those you lead by truly listening, asking curious questions, and learning their stories and strengths.
• O – Observe and offer care. Pay attention to what your people are experiencing, noticing both their challenges and wins, and look for specific opportunities to demonstrate care in ways that matter to them. Simple, consistent actions—like checking in after a difficult meeting or acknowledging effort that often goes unseen—signal that people are not invisible.
• V – Value and add value. Treat every person as inherently valuable and continually look for ways to add value to their work and growth, which may include remembering important life events or showing up for them in moments of loss. When leaders focus on adding value, the entire organization and the communities it serves benefit.
• E – Empower with empathy and encouragement. Empowerment means equipping people with the clarity, tools, and trust they need to do excellent work while you stay accessible for support. Jeff Henderson encourages leaders to start conversations with “How are you doing?” before “What are you doing?” and then to pause and listen, which builds trust and connection before diving into tasks.

Marcus Buckingham adds a practical rhythm to this with his recommended “check-in” practice: 15 minutes weekly to ask two questions—What did you love and hate about last week? What are you focused on this week, and how can I help?—Keeping love at the center of the manager–team member relationship.

Leaders Who Practice L.O.V.E. in Action

Here are three brief examples of leaders and organizations that embody L.O.V.E.-style leadership and have seen gains in engagement and performance:

• Microsoft under Satya Nadella (Value & Empathy). Nadella’s emphasis on a growth mindset and empathy reshaped Microsoft’s culture, encouraging leaders to listen deeply, learn continuously, and prioritize collaboration. Under this more human-centered approach, the company experienced significant improvements in innovation, relevance, and market value, with employees feeling more respected and empowered.
• A “Most Loved Workplace” organization (Observe & Care). Companies recognized as Most Loved Workplaces intentionally build cultures where leaders show consistent care, respect differences, and ensure people feel safe and supported. These organizations report higher motivation, stronger loyalty, and better performance because people experience daily evidence that their leaders care about their growth and well-being.
• Teams that prioritize well-being and recognition (Empower & Add Value). Gallup’s research with Workhuman shows that managers who set clear expectations collaboratively, stay accessible, and intentionally recognize contributions help employees feel seen and valued. Employees in these environments report higher well-being and engagement, demonstrating how love expressed through clarity, recognition, and support translates directly into better outcomes.

The leadership questions for you then using the L.O.V.E. framework as a mirror for your own leadership, consider:

1. How are you doing at leading with love—being present, observant, valuing others, and empowering with empathy?

2. Which letter of L.O.V.E. needs your focused attention in this season of your leadership?

3. What is one concrete action you will take in the next week to show someone on your team that they are seen, valued, and supported?

And yes—Valentine’s Day is only two days away. As you plan for the special people in your life, consider how you might also intentionally show love in your leadership, so that those you lead can flourish at work and beyond.