Talking about love in business might make us uncomfortable. Isn’t business all about head, not heart? When we talk of love at work, we don’t mean romantic love. It is love for what we do (passion), love for the people we do it with (teammates) and love for the people we do it for (customers).
In a longitudinal study titled ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It’, researchers Sigal Barsade and Olivia O’Neill coined the term emotional culture to characterise workplaces where employees felt loved and cared for and described the positive, measurable impact on performance and wellbeing. So people who feel loved at work, do more work and feel better about themselves!
The simplest way to express love at work is through appreciation. Appreciation is showing and telling people what you love about their work. However we might feel awkward, unsure how it will be received, or perhaps we simply don’t have enough practice. In a wonderful scene from Absolutely Fabulous, Jennifer Saunders’ character, Eddy, is trying to teach Patsy (Joanna Lumley) how to smile. All Patsy can muster is a grimace, ugly but very funny.
We all seek appreciation but are often negligent about giving it, resorting to the occasional cliché like ‘Good job!’ or a generic ‘Well done’. However there is power in the small gestures: a handwritten note, a personal thank you and taking time to ask after people.
When you first start to practise appreciation, it can feel like a grimace. With perseverance, though, and the reward of seeing the impact it has on people, appreciation can soon come naturally. What is not to love about that?
What are your thoughts – please comment, I love hearing from you.
![](https://yamininaidu.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Story-Mastery-Book-1-270x300.png)
Story Mastery
Discover stories from leaders like you, who have applied these simple steps and achieved career-defining business results. Storytelling is not a natural gift, but a skill you can learn.
Recent Posts
You Won’t Believe What I Saw in the Park
![Featured image for “My name is Yamini Naidu, and I’m an addict”](https://yamininaidu.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/edward-howell-gM7hANhGSBU-unsplash-scaled.jpg)
My name is Yamini Naidu, and I’m an addict
![Featured image for “One power move for every time you present”](https://yamininaidu.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/chris-tweten-FK-UKNip0pE-unsplash-scaled.jpg)
One power move for every time you present
![Featured image for “Fascinating, but I’m not sure I could – can you?”](https://yamininaidu.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/May-Copyright-Beth-Jennings-Photography-2016_Yamini-Naidu_WEB-6878.jpg)
Fascinating, but I’m not sure I could – can you?
![Featured image for “One technique that changed my presentations forever”](https://yamininaidu.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Laughing-side-eye-Copyright-Beth-Jennings-Photography-2016_Yamini-Naidu_WEB-6792.jpg)
One technique that changed my presentations forever
![Featured image for “I went psycho in the gym this morning”](https://yamininaidu.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Side-Copyright-Beth-Jennings-Photography-2016_Yamini-Naidu_WEB-6775.jpg)
I went psycho in the gym this morning
Categories
- Books2
- Business storytelling articles37
- Business storytelling examples47
- Business storytelling techniques75
- Business Storytelling training64
- Case Study5
- Conference Speaker3
- Examples of Story66
- Inspiration33
- Interview with…7
- Latest Posts185
- Life hacks3
- Presentation Skills17
- Speaking11
- Technology3
- Thoughts111
- Uncategorized3
- X Factor12