Leadership is my passion. It is the piece that resonates in my being creating fire in my belly. I enjoy talking about it, speaking about it, learning about it and using it. I Love Leadership!

The Beatles rendition of "Love, love, love -- all you need is love", however, doesn't ring true for me. In any relationship, you need more than love. You need commitment, communication and concern for the other person's well being. Jim and I are involved in a wonderful ministry where we share our faith and love with couples who are engaged. One of the motto's of the organization is love is a decsion, which is very upside. You can always choose love. But, what does love got to do with leadership?

Great leaders make the decision to love their people and they choose to love with a servant's heart. The definition of love is deely caring for a person out of kinship or a sense of oneness. This is an integral part of being a "whole" leader. Great leaders are committed to their employees success, willing to openly communicate and share ideas, and continually show concern for their well-being.

In Buckingham and Coffman's book, "First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently", the authors share one of the key discoveries from a Gallup Organization poll. The study was conducted to determine how the best leaders attract, focus and keep talented employees. Over 80,000 managers from all levels across a broad range of countries, industries and companies were interviewed. The most successful companies were companies who had leaders who had answers to 12 questions. Question #5 was, "Does my supervisor or someone at work care about me as a person?" Great leaders care about people. Do you?

May you always choose love on your leadership journey! Ride the Upside!