I attended a virtual event for a community of leaders I am in. The purpose was to address the current disruption in jobs, talent, and how organizations are led and structured in the wake of the rise in AI adoption.
What I appreciated about the conversation was that it was less about using AI and more about how to build a humane organization and what it actually takes to accelerate without sacrificing the culture and people that make organizations worth building.
My favorite part of the program is always the breakout where you get to be in a more collaborative conversation. One of the members shared that their company is now building education around “the leadership competency of love.”
That idea blew me away and is the inspiration for this week’s article.
The Leadership Competency of Love
When I say the word love in a leadership conversation, I usually get one of two reactions; Some people lean in. Others immediately get uncomfortable.
But stay with me.
I’m not talking about romance. I’m not talking about friendship. I’m talking about a leadership philosophy that is rooted in caring about people as human beings.
It’s the difference between trying to get the most out of people and trying to get the best out of people.
Many leaders focus on extracting maximum output. More hours. More productivity. More results.
Connected leaders focus on helping people become their best selves. They know that when people feel valued, supported, challenged, and respected, extraordinary performance follows.
Ironically, when you focus on getting the best out of people, you often end up getting more out of them as well.
Love Is Not Soft. It’s Strategic.
Some leaders worry that leading with care means lowering standards.
The opposite is true.
Love in leadership means holding people accountable because you believe in their potential. It means giving honest feedback because you want them to succeed. It means investing in their growth rather than simply using their skills.
People don’t give their best effort because they fear their leader. They give their best effort because they don’t want to disappoint someone who genuinely cares about them.
Gallup research found that employees who strongly agree their organization cares about their overall well-being are five times more likely to be engaged at work and seven times more likely to recommend their company as a great place to work. They are also significantly less likely to experience burnout or seek another job.
Think about that for a moment.
One of the strongest predictors of performance isn’t compensation, perks, or technology. It’s whether people feel cared about.
The Loyalty Advantage
We often talk about retention as if it’s a compensation problem. Sometimes it is.
But more often, it’s a relationship problem. People leave managers long before they leave organizations.
When employees believe their organization cares about their well-being, they are 69% less likely to be actively searching for a new job.
Love creates loyalty.
Not blind loyalty. Not unconditional loyalty. The kind of loyalty that makes people stay through difficult projects, support organizational change, and go the extra mile when challenges arise.
The kind of loyalty that can’t be purchased with a bonus.
Why Love Matters Even More in the Age of AI
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape work, many technical and analytical tasks will become increasingly automated.
What won’t be automated?
- Trust.
- Empathy.
- Judgment.
- Connection.
- The ability to inspire.
- The ability to help someone navigate uncertainty.
- The ability to make another person feel seen and valued.
Experts across industries increasingly point to empathy, communication, creativity, judgment, and human connection as the capabilities that will differentiate successful leaders in the AI era. As technology handles more tasks, human-centered leadership becomes even more valuable.
For years, organizations referred to these as “soft skills.” Today, they are becoming the hardest skills to replace.
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What Love Looks Like at Work
Love isn’t a motivational speech.
- It’s asking a question and genuinely listening to the answer.
- It’s knowing what matters to your people.
- It’s helping someone grow beyond their current role.
- It’s recognizing effort, not just outcomes.
- It’s having difficult conversations with respect.
- It’s believing in someone before they fully believe in themselves.
These actions may seem small, but their impact is enormous. People remember how leaders make them feel. And those feelings influence engagement, innovation, discretionary effort, and commitment.
The Leadership Legacy
At the end of your career, people probably won’t remember every goal you achieved or every project you completed. They will remember how you treated them.
They will remember whether you helped them become more confident, more capable, and more successful.
Leadership isn’t about getting the most out of people.
It’s about helping people become their best.
And when leaders lead with that kind of love, everybody wins.