Written by: Patrick Batson, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Anyone who has managed a team, department, or entire business understands. Optimizing results and minimizing risk in an era of rapid change is a daunting task. Yesterday’s celebrated formula for success easily becomes tomorrow’s misstep. However, a reliable constant does exist—it’s just hidden in plain sight.
Love vs. Fear
At its core, a firm is a collection of individuals interacting with one another to accomplish shared objectives. Most of humanity learns the fundamental formula for successful human interaction before we can even speak coherently. Parents, caregivers, and children’s programming teach us first to be kind, honest, generous, compassionate, cooperative, and forgiving—all universal values based in love. However, when we enter the firm, we often allow fear-based emotions to take precedence. It's easy to see why. In the years between preschool and employment, we are taught that life is a competitive sport requiring constant action, tough choices, and no display of vulnerability. We witness successful people openly criticizing or ridiculing others. We are exposed to countless half-truths under the banners of "marketing" and "PR". Financial success is constantly modeled as the primary goal. And through the ubiquity of social media, we are trained to seek constant positive attention. Such fear-based values are embedded in the corporate cultures of many of the world's most admired firms. We must compete with colleagues for attention, opportunity, and resources. We embellish the truth or make unreasonable commitments to win the deal. We fail to speak our truth when directed to act against our personal integrity. We endure toxic of levels of stress because we are told that’s what it takes to get ahead. And we ignore the pangs of our hearts when they whisper, “This can’t be right.” In short, a fear of failure, retribution, or irrelevance keeps us from boldly practicing the one constant we have known all our lives.
Rethink What’s Good for Business
Is this good for the bottom line? That may depend on your own definition of “good." But common sense says that when a universal constant exists in the realm of human relations, it’s logical to apply that constant regardless of the relationship. That means talking about and modeling love, honesty, compassion, and forgiveness as core values in the workplace. In fact, ignoring the one thing we have always known would be folly in an uncertain world. Before dismissing that statement as Pollyanna or utopian, consider that only two years ago nobody would have believed productivity would actually go up if employees were allowed to work from home en masse. However, COVID-19 forced many companies around the world to do just that, and a number of recent studies on the impact or remote work to productivity have shown surprisingly positive results. As businesses grapple with the challenges of recruiting and retention in the post-COIVD world, one of the most impactful things they can do is reconcile core human values with core corporate values. A recent Gallup poll found that employee satisfaction and engagement have declined since late 2021. One of the primary reasons is the need to feel cared about at work—especially among millennials and Gen Zers. In a world where the desire for meaning is so strong, firms can help employees find more of it by bringing love out of the closet and into the center of our organizational cultures. In fact, a recent study by GreatPlace to Work found that feeling genuinely loved in the workplace is a primary characteristic of highly productive employees. Simply put, love is good business.
Feed the Soul, Spur Motivation
If a firm is a collection of individuals with souls working toward the fulfillment of a shared mission, then intentionally doing what is good for the soul will only benefit the firm in the long run. Encouraging success through the practice of love-based values, and modeling those values at the highest levels of management, even in the face of a challenging business climate, is what will motivate individuals to work passionately toward the firm’s goals in the coming years.
As the human consciousness continues to evolve toward greater alignment between the head and the heart, customers and employees will expect nothing less than the truth they have known their entire lives. Firms that recognize this and take the bold step of building a culture centered around love-based values will have an advantage over those who cling to the fears of the past. For as we move further into this age of transparency, organizations that openly model love-based values will most easily capture the hearts and minds of all their stakeholders.
If you want to learn more about how to live through love rather than fear, check out my latest book,
Patrick Batson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Patrick assists people on their journey of awakening to higher consciousness. Drawing upon decades of study and practice of Spiritual wisdom, as well as executive-level management and modern family life, Patrick serves as a guide for bridging the physical and Spiritual worlds. He has authored two books and publishes a monthly blog of channeled content on topics common to the human experience, as observed from the perspective of the Higher Self. Through his healing practice, Patrick helps clients connect with their Higher Mind. By bringing unconscious, limiting beliefs into alignment with the Higher Mind's vision of wholeness and abundance, clients are able to amplify and accelerate positive life changes.
