Leading Through Love, Not the Iron-Fist of Fear

By Natasha L. Foreman

No matter what your title or position, no matter if your leadership role is in the office, the classroom, the hospital, an airplane, a courtroom, or your home, there is a must-read book for all. This book stresses a new way to lead through the basic principle of love. Author John Hope Bryant shares in his book, LOVE LEADERSHIP: A New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World, five laws of love-based leadership, which include:

1.     Loss creates leaders

2.     Fear fails

3.     Love makes money

4.     Vulnerability is power

5.     Giving is getting

Mr. Bryant, the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE shares his personal stories and those of great leaders which he interviewed, such as former U.S. President Bill Clinton; the late great Dr. Dorothy I. Height; and Zainab Salbi, president and CEO of Women for Women International, among others, as they discussed what leading through love has meant for them professionally and personally and how leading through fear "...is the kiss of death" in business, leading to "short-termism."

As Mr. Bryant shares, "Leading through fear is antiquated and self-defeating, a crippling indulgence that we can no longer afford." Several fear-based tactics Bryant highlights are:

1.    Using aggressive language, tone, and eye contact

2.    Criticizing unfairly

3.    Blaming, without offering reasonable recourse

4.    Applying rules inconsistently

5.    Stealing credit

6.    Making unreasonable demands

7.    Issuing threats, insults, and accusations

8.    Denying accomplishments

9.    Excluding others from opportunities

10.    Assigning pointless tasks

11.  Personalizing problems

12.  Breaching confidentiality

13.  Spreading rumors

This book is a great leadership and management tool for every organization and household. The holidays are a blink away - consider purchasing copies for friends, family, and colleagues to start the new year off on a love leadership path! Proceeds benefit Operation HOPE, Inc.

 

Natasha L. Foreman, MBA is a Business and Entertainment Consultant, Certified Personal Fitness Trainer, and Blogger. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Organization and Management with a specialization in Management Education, and a certificate in College Teaching. Natasha has been involved in various philanthropic and grassroots movements for over 20 years. She is actively involved in her community, visiting and speaking with students at local K-12 schools throughout Metro Atlanta, Georgia and Orange County, California. 

Natasha can be reached via email at natasha@natashaforeman.info, through her Paradigm Life blog at paradigmlife.blogspot.com, or you can follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/natashaforeman