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Praise for LOVE AS A BUSINESS STRATEGY "A brutally honest confession and road map that can help transform the culture of any system or individual willing to do the hard work of changing for the better."
-ESMAEIL PORSA, MD, MBA, MPH, CCHP-A, President and CEO of Harris Health System "Powerful. This is exactly what the world needs right now. Leaders, teams, and cultures filled with love-the kind of love that inspires us to shape a beautiful, high-growth, innovative future together."
-CHRIS DEAVER, co-author of
Brave Together, The Next Big Idea Club top pick "
Love as a Business Strategy is a game changer for bringing humanity back to the workplace! I have not only integrated this book into my college management courses, but it has also changed the way that I teach as I work to bring humanity to the college classroom."
-DR. TRISH BERG, Associate Professor of Business, Heidelberg University "From leading as a single school principal to Chief Executive Officer of 11 schools,
Love as a Business Strategy has been instrumental in scaling the core value of love across our dynamic organization. Post-pandemic, the challenge of integrating love into our improvement strategy was daunting, yet this book, alongside the invaluable support from the Culture+ team, became the cornerstone of our success. It guided us through the necessary tough and honest conversations, enabling a culture shift where my team now prioritizes honesty over harmony, and recognizes love not as mere sentimentality but as a powerful catalyst for progress. This text is more than inspirational; it's a practical blueprint for anyone looking to leverage love to drive substantial outcomes in their organization."
-MINI'IMAH SHAHEED, CEO, KIPP Atlanta Schools "
Love as a Business Strategy is a must-read for anyone in the nonprofit sector. When the values we promote 'outside' don't align with our internal culture, fulfilling our mission becomes much more challenging. Through engaging stories and relatable examples, this highly readable book offers practical guidance on fostering a culture of vulnerability, trust, and inclusion-leading to stronger outcomes for everyone."
-DR. ANDREA M. LINK, Executive Director, Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Houston Galveston "The concepts and Six Pillars of Love discussed in this book, when put into regular practice, can really help unlock the power of 'Team', and the satisfaction and engagement of individual team members. In our case, this culture enhancement has helped us greatly improve employee retention rates, but more importantly, helped improve cross-functional relationships AND business results!"
-MARTIN LANDON, CEO, BioBridge Global
List of contents
Foreword xiii
Our Darkest Day xv
Part I Why Love Is Good for Business 1 Chapter 1 What Is Love? (Baby Don't Hurt Me) 3
Chapter 2 Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast 17
Chapter 3 Behavior Eats Culture for Lunch 27
Part II Understanding the Culture of Love 45 Chapter 4 Inclusion 47
Chapter 5 Empathy 61
Chapter 6 Vulnerability 71
Chapter 7 Trust 79
Chapter 8 Empowerment 89
Chapter 9 Forgiveness 97
Part III Put Love to Work 105 Chapter 10 To Lead Is to Serve 107
Chapter 11 We Are Better Together 123
Chapter 12 HR (Humanity Required) 139
Chapter 13 Systems-People, Process, and Technology 151
Chapter 14 Lovin' Those Business Outcomes 159
Chapter 15 Waiting on the World to Change? 175
Chapter 16 No More Excuses 195
Acknowledgments 207
About the Authors 213
About Softway 215
Index 217
About the author
SOFTWAY is a people-first consulting firm that helps businesses achieve transformation in areas of technology, communication, and culture. In 2021, inspired by Softway's own successful cultural transformation,
CULTURE+ was created to help other organizations build thriving cultures and effectively navigate change. In 2015, when a toxic culture almost bankrupted the company, Softway's leadership team-including authors
MOHAMMAD ANWAR,
FRANK DANNA,
JEFF MA, and
CHRIS PITRE-vowed to bring humanity back to the workplace. Through trial, error, and determination, they rebuilt their organization around their greatest asset: people. Today, through the Culture Rise experience and other products and services, Softway and Culture+ are helping leaders worldwide transform their businesses by bringing humanity back to the workplace.
