A friend sent me this article in Sunday's New York Daily News about Tom Coughlin's pre-game speech to the Giants. His themes, it seems, were "Finish" (as in do whatever it takes to complete what you set out to do), "Belief" (as in have faith in your capability and in your team mates), and "Love." As in, well...love.
He reportedly told his players "I love every guy in this room," and supported his declaration with a nod to the legendary John Wooden:
He referenced Wooden’s infamous “Pyramid of Success,” which originally had “Competitive Greatness” at the top of the pyramid. Coughlin told his players that later in his life, Wooden decided that “Love” belonged at the top.
I was charmed, surprised and 100% in agreement with Mr. Coughlin. In my formative years as a hippy/peacenik/eastern meditation proponent, I became deeply convinced that love is the most powerful feeling on earth. And 40 years later, I still believe that.
And I'm not just talking about romantic love - though certainly that can be astonishingly powerful - I'm talking about that deep feeling of mutual support, alignment, and transparency that characterizes all truly loving relationships. The essence of love is an unselfish concern for another's welfare, a belief in that person as a human being, and an impulse to support them in achieving their dreams and goals.
If that's the essence of love, then it makes perfect sense to me that Tom Coughlin (or any smart leader) would see that it's part of the foundation of greatness for a team or enterprise.
So, how do you invite love into your team and your business? The best magnet for love is to love. If when Coughlin says "I love every guy in this room," he actually does it - showing up every day with generosity, honesty and courage on their behalf - the players on his team feel free to love him and each other in return.
Creating a team or a business that has a culture of love (call it something else if the word makes you uncomfortable) requires that you yourself be a loving and caring human being, and demonstrate that daily. A truly worthy goal for your ongoing leadership development...
