Part 8 :: A "LOving Work" Case Study

So, Just What IS Love at Work? (Hint: It's Not an Office Romance.)

​I’ve been working with a client that’s doing a big, complex, bank-funded project where an acute lack of Authentic Communication has had some significant consequences.
 
Chronically missed deadlines mean the project is now years late, and my client is facing bank interest payments that have accrued from the delay. Contractors were overpaid due to lack of direction and oversight. A partner had to be fired. Legal action is contemplated.
 
I was brought in to tease out the critical issues and help resolve them by applying the principles of Authentic Communication. I’ve worked with my client to bring clarity to himself, and to the relationships, agreements and processes that comprise the project. Now we’re moving forward – on time and on budget.
 
As we’ve tackled the various, snarled elements of the project, I’ve accompanied my client on his journey of deepening self-awareness. We’ve used the often challenging, sometimes very heated, discussions and interplay with vendors, regulators, contractors and others as mirrors that reveal more about my client’s human experience. As he accepts more responsibility for how he shows up, my client finds himself on solid footing to request more accountability from everyone with whom he works.
 
He’s practicing saying, “No,” to get control of the tasks that have been piling up, completing critical pieces and regaining a sense of order of what has to be done.
 
And he’s learning to listen. He’s begun to see that, while listening to each other does not have to mean agreeing, it sure keeps the peace and enables higher productivity.
 
One step at a time, he is beginning to treat more of his communication as an act of Love, and, in the process, uncovering new levels of trust – in others and in himself.
 
What I’m seeing with this client is how, when you view communication as an act of Love, you glimpse options and alternatives that were not obvious before. You have the confidence to ask for what is truly needed – time, money, people, or, perhaps, someone to listen. You become courageous – and contagious – in your honesty. You commit fully to the highest and best for your project, team, organization and clients.
 
As you become more proficient with the power of your communication, you unleash more integrity, authority and power in your work environment. You feel more fully alive, more present and more connected. You are charged up with the kind of energy that results from and generates Love.
 
This is not the kind of love you have for your favorite pizza or a shiny new car. This is not even the kind of love you might experience when you see a real Monet or a shooting star. This is the kind of Love that arises in relationship with yourself and other human beings. It’s the kind that can be nurtured, grown and delighted in through language.

#LovingWork #AuthenticCommunication #LoveAtWork #NotAnOfficeRomance #CommunicationIsAnActOfLove #MakingWorkWorkBetter #21stCenturySkills