St Thomas Aquinas defined love as this, “To constantly will and choose the good of the other.” Let’s break this down into five key dispositions of leaders that lead with love.

One: Altruism

People willingly follow leaders that consistently demonstrate a selfless concern for the well being of others. Altruism means willing the good of the other for the sake of the other, not for the benefit of oneself. The best leaders resist the temptation toward transactional relationships. They don’t scratch the back of the other so that they may scratch theirs. To will the good of the other means willing what is best for them even if that comes at the leader’s expense.

The best leaders resist the temptation toward transactional relationships. They don’t scratch the back of the other so that they may scratch theirs. Click To Tweet

Two: Sacrifice

Love is measured by the degree of sacrifice one is willing to endure for the sake of the other. Jesus’ emptying Himself on the cross was the epitome of love and leadership. When we think we’ve given enough, sacrificed enough and served enough, we do well to pray for the grace of total self-gift through our leadership.

Jesus’ emptying Himself on the cross was the epitome of love and leadership. When we think we’ve given enough, sacrificed enough and served enough, we do well to pray for the grace of total self-gift through our leadership. Click To Tweet

Three: Remove Obstacles

One of the most important behaviours for any organizational leader is to remove the obstacles that hinders the performance of their people. Jesus criticized the Pharisees for heaping up heavy burdens while doing nothing to ease the pain. Good leaders assign clear responsibilities and set lofty goals for their people; great leaders do the same and remove anything blocking progress or hindering performance. Anticipating the needs of others by removing obstacles and providing the right resources for others is a game-changer in your leadership.

Jesus criticized the Pharisees for placing burdens on people and doing nothing to ease them. Removing obstacles and providing the right resources for others is a game-changer in your leadership. Click To Tweet

Four: Encourage the Heart

The less there is in the world, the more valuable it becomes. Encouraging words are valuable because so many of us live without them. As a result, when it comes to believing in themselves, most of us are agnostic. Jesus was the ultimate encourager. When most people looked at Mary Magdalene, the saw a sinner and a prostitute. Jesus saw a saint and that’s what she became. He didn’t put a lid on her future because of her current circumstance. He saw greatness within her, encouraged that greatness to come out and 2,000 years ago we are still talking about her powerful life and witness.

The less there is in the world, the more valuable it becomes. Encouraging words are valuable because so many of us live without them. As a result, when it comes to believing in themselves, most of us are agnostic. Click To Tweet

Five: Empower Others to Act

The best leaders are keenly aware of three things. First, they are aware of the most critical needs and greatest opportunities of the organization. Second, they accurately identify the talents and strengths of their people. Third, they know intimately well what motivates their people and what they are most passionate about. With this threefold awareness, the best leaders assign responsibilities and tasks that align all three. I call this the sweet spot – when your passion and giftedness are set loose to work on critical needs and opportunities. This is what it means to empower others.

Leaders put people in their sweet-spot: when your passion and giftedness are set loose to work on critical needs and opportunities. This is what it means to empower others. Click To Tweet

What’s love got to do with leadership? A lot. Leading with love doesn’t mean being soft. It means to consistently will and choose the good of the other for the other’s sake. It means demonstrating altruism, being ready to sacrifice, anticipating needs and removing obstacles, encouraging the heart and empowering others. These are anything but soft and when lived to the full through self-gift, hard results follow.