Love may not be something you readily associate with business, but today’s guest, Steve Farber, author, executive coach, and CEO of The Extreme Leadership Institute, joins us to share why he’s convinced that love has an integral role to play in leadership, teams, and competitive advantage.
3 Key Points
- As leaders, we need to create a culture that people love working in. We can’t have that impact if we don’t love the work we’re doing.
- Good engagement should be the beginning, not the goal—once we have employee and customer engagement, we can generate impact through lovable experiences.
- To be good leaders, we must find situations that scare us and move through them. We cannot lead if we do not confront that fear.
Quote
“Do what you love in the service of the people who love what you do”
What We Talked About
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- 01:15 – What good does it do to focus on love in business?
- 03:50 – More about the type of love business needs
- 06:07 – Creating a company culture that people love
- 07:50 – How does employee engagement generate customer engagement?
- 11:15 – On the failings of reasonable metrics
- 13:30 – Authentically loving work
- 14:28 – What is the framework for understanding love, impact, and fear?
- 19:50 – Is moving through fear integral to leadership?
- 22:50 – On “discomfort” versus “fear”
- 26:05 – How do you understand service?
- 28:30 – How do you create an environment where love can flourish?
- 37:09 – Regarding the rise of impact-focused companies: What effect does love have on this growth?
Actionable Tips
- Recognize your own ability to have impact. It’s not just great historic leaders—it’s you too!
- Make a personal connection where others may be impersonal.
- Ask yourself, “what can I do right now, regardless of what others are doing or not doing, to change my piece of this company for the better?”
Resources Mentioned
- Books by Steve Farber:
- Love Is Just Damn Good Business
- The Radical Leap
- Greater Than Yourself
- To read about Steve’s work at the Extreme Leadership Institute, visit his website.
Resources for Your Business
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Ursula Jorch, Host of The Impact Interviews
Ursula Jorch is a business coach, speaker, and podcaster who shows women leaders how to turn their businesses into profitable agents for lasting change, global impact, and a force for good in the world.
