Why Love in the Boardroom?
The subject tonight is Love
And for tomorrow night as well,
As a matter of fact
I know of no better topic
For us to discuss
Until we all
Die!
—Hafiz
‘Love in the Boardroom’ emerges from a longstanding fascination with exploring possibilities of new ways for organisations to operate profitably, sustainably and ethically. Feedback received has indicated that Love at Work does work in improving conditions and results – including and beyond the bottom line.
This is coupled with a practical desire to discover how people who work in leading roles in a variety of sectors respond to the idea of trust, caring, compassion, empathy and love as necessary components of working life in their organisations.
Over the past couple of years, it has been very encouraging to hear shifts in the language heard at numerous conferences on leadership and business, supported by findings from books, articles, and academic papers. The words ‘love’ ‘caring’ ‘compassion’ ’empathy’ have started to edge their way into the vocabulary of leaders, authors, speakers and facilitators – sometimes qualified by the statement ‘I mean the kind of tough love, not the mushy, romantic type……’ However, the idea is decidedly present, even when the semantics demand clarification.
The hypothesis is that the boardrooms, inner circles and top-level policy meetings of many major institutions and organisations are still perceived as the prime places where decisions influencing the future take place, even though societal trends such as sustainability, social media, big society and community collaboration increasingly exert an influence. The culture predominating in these upper echelons still tends in many instances to be underpinned by the prime concerns of time, fear and the bottom line.
A new approach for business and the way our world operates, if we are to survive, and thrive, depends for its emergence and adoption on the creation of flatter, less hierarchical structures with a more co-operative, compassionate, loving, trusting atmosphere and environment facilitated by the greater reach of education and more open, creative approaches.
For example, CSR now has to be robust, real, sustainable and sincere rather than window-dressing, going beyond mere ‘green-washing’: and corporate or venture philanthropy is of growing importance. Consumers and stakeholders demand accountability and punish lack of authenticity, utilising the power of the internet to reveal perceived transgressions.
Research shows that there are proven, measurable results reflected in the stock values, staff retention, morale and profitability of organisations adopting more humanitarian, caring practices, and there are tangible advantages in engagement and effectiveness to be gained.
‘Love in the Boardroom’ offers insights into current practice and recommends strategies for more collaborative, productive and happier working environments. It is backed by research into proven, effective means of operating in a more loving, compassionate and powerful manner, based on a moral compass of universal, sustainable human values, and traces the evolution of leadership, working and management practices through the Ages.
The research results and implementation methods will be available to organisations seeking to change their culture and operations and embrace excellence and are already being requested by interviewees.
Christine Miller
