The Habits and Connection of Love and Leadership
What is the scientific connection between love and leadership? My experience say it’s “everything.”
Without love, I would have never experienced true leadership. And without leadership, I would never have experienced true love.
After learning leadership at West Point, I was sent to Italy, the land of love. But it was not only Italy that gave me the sensitivity to love, but it was the soldiers with whom I served, both in Italy and then in Iraq.
The scientific connection between love and leadership lies in the way they both impact our brains and behavior. While love is often associated with personal relationships, it also plays a crucial role in effective leadership. My life feels like proof behind the science.
So what is the science?
1. The Neurobiology of love and leadership: Studies have shown that love activates certain areas of the brain associated with reward, empathy, and bonding, such as the release of oxytocin, the "love hormone." Similarly, effective leadership activates neural circuits associated with social connection, trust, and motivation. Both love and leadership engage overlapping brain regions, highlighting their interconnectedness.
2. Emotional contagion: Love and leadership both involve the ability to influence and inspire others emotionally. Research indicates that emotions can be contagious, spreading from one person to another. Leaders who demonstrate love, care, and positive emotions can create a ripple effect, fostering a more supportive and productive work environment.
3. Relationship building: Love and leadership are built upon establishing strong relationships. Love in personal relationships nurtures a sense of trust, security, and connection. In leadership, building relationships based on trust, respect, and care is crucial for effective collaboration, engagement, and loyalty from team members.
4. Empathy and perspective-taking: Love and leadership both require the ability to understand and empathize with others. Empathy is the capacity to share and understand others' emotions, which allows leaders to connect with their team members on a deeper level. Love enhances empathy, enabling leaders to better relate to and support their team.
5. Positive organizational outcomes: Research suggests that leaders who display love and care for their team members tend to foster positive organizational outcomes. These can include increased employee satisfaction, motivation, creativity, and overall well-being. Love-centered leadership approaches have been associated with higher employee engagement and performance.
While the scientific connection between love and leadership is still an evolving field of study, my own experiences tell me that the habits of love are the same as those of leadership.
We created Leaderly with a singular focus on unlearning leadership as an academic subject and relearning it as a lifetime habit as rich and rewarding as love itself.
Learn to lead by relearning to love.
Drew Bartkiewicz, CEO of Leaderly