Love as an Engaging Force in the Workplace

Employee engagement is a huge topic for Chief Financial Officers, Chief Learning Officers, HR practitioners and enterprise leaders of all stripes. It is clear that those who are lucky or good enough to have a high percentage of engaged workers in the workforce do better, financially and by their customers, in the marketplace.

From what I've learned, there are many paths that help to engage the hearts and minds of your talent. I believe that when one seeks to turn around a situation where workforce disengagement is par for the course (golf pun intended) you can't start with an intent to manipulate the numbers to look successful--there are not shortcuts. I believe that engaging others in their work starts with a heartful intent to help people thrive and flourish where they work--out of love for the people. Doesn't this put the right wind in the right sails going in the right direction?

I've found that many of the management arts and practices start first with a positive intent to do the right things by those around you. When this isn't part of your mental, emotional or motivational framework, it is much easier to make the bigger mistakes. When you wish health for others, you effectively support wellness. When you really want to fully empathize with another, you listen well. When you really want someone to succeed at something, it is hard to coach poorly. It starts with an intent to love and support others so that they flourish around you. Just an idea...

A Loving Nation

"The greatest of these is love"--it isn't just a sentiment for individuals, lovers and friends. It applies to nations and our global family, too! When the crazy time started with September 11, 2001, and the Bush administration began to threaten prosecuting a War on Terrorism in early 2002, my late Dad and I pounded a sign into his frozen yard saying, "War is not the answer!" In fact, warring becomes part of long-lasting hatred and intentions of revenge. I said it then, and I'll say it now--the best thing to do is to be more understanding and compassionate. Make THIS the job of the President of the United States...travel the world and visit with leaders and wise stakeholders to truly understand the issues, and act in ways that show compassion, courage, sensitivity, understanding and love to the people's of all nations. Until it hurts. Because war is not the answer. It creates much larger problems. If we are a nation founded on principles that respect the rights of our citizens and the humanity of all people, regardless of race, culture or creed--then it is intolerable when we are intolerant of others, and when we hurt others in the name of our own interests. I know this is not a simple or easy guideline, it is probably the most complex undertaking of all in a very complex time. But that's what it will take to bring a higher level of maturity to a hurting world, and to be ambassadors of love to those who hate. What would that look like? I don't know--but I want to see it.

Brian Carlsen

The Core of It

"The greatest of these is Love." This is a sentiment that rings through the centuries and still lies at the core of things today. And will tomorrow. We are all connected, people. In ways the we can barely fathom, even in our most true moments. The way we treat people returns to us. Our heart and intent fashions our future.

In my professional life, I am an employee training and organizational development specialist. When I choose this career (to be a trainer within business), the intrinsic value or central purpose was to contribute to bettering the quality of worklife of others. People in the midst of their career spend a majority of their waking days during the week at work. Is that a good part of their life or not. Don't we contribute to the overwall level of joy, satisfaction and personal fulfillment by being passionate and compassionate professionals? If I currently have a professional purpose or mission, it is to maximize the opportunities I have to positively influence the quality of worklife of those I serve and with whom I work. It's not a bad road to be on.

There are so many areas of research and experience that touch on this core idea that I may explore them in installments. I am talking about hot topics (or even more esoteric ones) related to human/work interface such as:

• Employee engagement
• Good boss/bad boss behaviors
• Positive organizational psychology
• Virtue in the workplace
• Spirit at work
• ...and many more.

What is your interest?