Work is love made visible. And if you can’t work with love, but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of the people who work with joy. – Khalil Gibran
Love what you do and do what you love is another way of expressing the above quote by the famous poet. We all want to find joy and passion in our work, but often this does not happen. It is the attitude of many people that work is drudgery and a burden that has to be done.
No one should have to live life with this sort of negativity. Unfortunately, though, the attitude of both employers and employees contribute to this mindset to some degree.
When leaders fail to create a culture based on love, then workers will not find their true passion. Instead, they will feel undervalued and overwhelmed.
Employees today are looking for more than a paycheque. They want to be associated with organisations that care and do meaningful work. It used to be that workers would come in, put in their 40 hours, go home, return the next day and repeat the process.
However, the younger generation that is entering the workforce needs more than work. They want meaning and authenticity. The only way to get this is to infuse love into everything you do.
This may sound naïve, but I have made sure that love is the basis for everything that my organisation does. People are often confused by the way I operate my business. They cannot fathom the idea of putting progress over profits. This is a prevailing attitude among many businesses.
Companies that operate in the traditional manner are worried about making money and pleasing shareholders. This is the old, outdated way of thinking. The future of organisations is consciousness and compassion.
Plain old products are no longer good enough for consumers, who want to make sure that they are not having a negative impact on society. This change in attitude has been a long time coming but it is very welcome.
When we use love and consciousness as the basis for all our decisions, it leads to a kind of purity and honesty that is priceless.
Leading with love means respecting everyone and treating others with dignity. It is really very simple.
When someone is treated badly repeatedly, they eventually feel dehumanised and invisible – it is as if they don’t exist, simply because someone at a higher level feels it is okay to abuse them.
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But think about the type of negativity this propels into the universe. When the abused person goes home and is frustrated, he or she may continue the cycle and treat a friend or family member the same.
Treating people respectfully costs nothing and takes little effort. All you should do is change your attitude and approach everything from a place of love. Once you do this, the love at work will be made visible.
Nand Kishore Chaudhary is the founder, chairman and managing director of Jaipur Rugs. He founded the company a few decades ago with nine artisans, and now benefits 40,000 artisans across 600 villages in India. Jaipur Rugs are exported to over 40 countries worldwide. To connect with him, email editor@leaderonomics.com.
Reposted with permission on Leaderonomics.com.