Fighting Fear with Love

Most of us hate vulnerability. We see it as weakness, as being soft. And no one, we surmise, can make it in today’s marketplace if they are weak or soft. But what if vulnerability is not the path to spinelessness but the road to power?

We hate vulnerability and trusting others in ways that involve the possibility of failure. Why? Because we are self-centered. But if we can break out of this egocentric fear, we will find something fresh, better, and stunningly powerful: the transformation of our leadership. This transformation is worth the effort and has whole-life implications. As author David Benner writes, the “bondage of the self is always the enemy of genuinely self-surrendering and self-transcending love.”

If we can break out of this egocentric fear, we will find something fresh, better, and stunningly powerful.

[E]mployees respond to love. Customers are drawn to environments, products, and services marked by love. By love I don’t mean mushy platitudes but the power of caring for others. However, we can’t get there as leaders or lead our corporate culture there if we insist on me as the basic point of reference for our common work. Author David Benner states, “Ultimately, taking care of Number One takes care of no one.”

Thus, betting on love actually aligns us with the most fundamental reality of all creation: God. Love will transform the self created by years of fear-based, power-oriented, untrusting leadership, management and supervision.

 ~ Our Character at Work, by Todd Hunter, p.59