In recent years we’ve made some important observations in the study of management:

These numbers are not fairy tales. They happened because these companies understood that the most important asset in every business—by far—is people. It’s our employees, managers, and customers who produce our products, services, and profits.

And if we fill the needs of these people, they will naturally, even eagerly produce the products, services, and profits we want.

So the question every effective manager must ask and answer is this:
What are the needs of the people I serve?

And this is the point where most businesses fail. On the whole, most managers do not know how to fill the essential needs of their employees, customers, fellow managers, and others.

We know how to service equipment.

We know how to manipulate information.

• The employee who resists direction.
• The loud, angry boss.
• The angry customer.
• The difficult board of directors.

In situations like this, almost all of us have felt frustrated and even helpless.

We wonder, where’s the manual for this?

Fortunately, the secret to effective—even great—leadership isn’t a secret at all. It’s about understanding the most basic human need.

Countless management studies—surveying millions of workers and managers—have now proven beyond doubt that the people who are most creative, communicative, collaborative, productive, and profitable in the workplace are those who are simply happy. They’re the people who enjoy being at work, and countless more studies have demonstrated that in order to be happy at work, what people want most is to know that the people around them—especially their immediate supervisors—care about them as individuals.

It really is that simple. And it can’t be faked. Caring about the people who work for us can’t be just a management technique.

When a manager genuinely cares about the well-being of the people he or she leads, they will almost invariably respond with a natural—and usually dramatic—increase in communication, creativity, collaboration, and productivity, which unavoidably leads to an increase in profits for the corporation—or improvement in services for the non-profit organization.

Now, we need a word for this managerial concept. When somebody cares about your well-being, when they listen to you and do everything they can to help you grow and develop, when you feel connected to that person and happier around them, what do you call that feeling?

You could call it respect or acceptance or trust or whatever, but any positive behavior becomes far more effective when we call it what it really is. Sometimes that takes a bit of courage, which was recognized by

Curt Coffman, author of the international bestseller First Break all the Rules, when he talked about the power of the Real Love in the Workplace program. He said,

“Dr. Baer has not only isolated the critical key to full human engagement, but he has the courage to recognize our essential emotional needs and to change how we manage all the people around us: employees, customers, and others.”

Coffman understood, as have many other business leaders from around the world, that this essential emotional need must finally be named for what it really is.

We’re not afraid to name it outside the workplace, and it’s the same essential quality and need once we’ve walked in the door of the place where we work.

Every human being has a primary need to feel unconditionally accepted, to feel cared for by the people around him or her. We all have a need to feel loved—even at work.

We’re not talking here about romantic love. We’re not talking about something soft or weak. Red Auerbach was the coach of the Boston Celtics, where he won more consecutive world championships than any professional coach in any sport. When asked to name the key to his unprecedented success, he said it was all about LOVING his players.

The key to great leadership is Real Love, which means genuinely caring about the happiness of other people.

It means developing our employees, listening to them, and helping them. It means caring about our customers.

As Margie Blanchard, wife of Ken Blanchard, author of the One Minute Manager, said,

“Leadership isn’t about love—it is love. It’s loving your customers, it’s loving your people.”

Companies that have employed policies of genuinely caring about their customers have seen extraordinary results, as we already described:

• Explosive creativity.
• Much greater productivity.
• Far fewer mistakes in production.
• Much happier customers.
• Higher employee retention, to the point of intense loyalty.

These are not myths. We can all learn how to achieve results like this. Real Love in the Workplace training will teach you how to become the kind of leader people will WANT to follow, want to share their creativity with, and want to do their best work for, and then you will experience the increases in communication, collaboration, and productivity that lead to the results you’ve always wanted. Begin now to learn the simple but powerful principles that will dramatically change your organization and, in the process, make your own job a great deal more enjoyable.

Sources
1. Norman Bodek, “Making Quick and Easy Kaizen Work for Your Shop”;
Moldmaking Technology; available from http://www.moldmakingtechnology.com/articles/0805lean.html;
Internet; accessed 9 January 2007.

2. “Profit Ideas,” ProfitPro.us; available from http://www.profitpro.us/profit_ideas.htm;
Internet; accessed 6 November 2006.

3. Robert Heller; “Management Myths:  Exploring and exploding some of the common management myths abounding in the corporate community,” Thinking Managers, July 8, 2006; available from http://www.thinkingmanagers.com/management/management-myths.php; Internet; accessed 9 November 2006.

4. Sarah Karush; “U.S. Automakers Narrowed Productivity gap last year,” Manufacturing.net; June 1, 2006; available from http://www.manufacturing.net/article.aspx?id=8612;
Internet; accessed 13 November 2006.

5. Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman, In Search of Excellence
(New York: HarperBusiness Essentials, 2004), 38-39.

“Clear and unsentimental, this book is not about weakness or permissiveness; it’s about having a profound appreciation for who people are and what they’ve done. Real Love is the single most powerful motivator in a leader’s toolbox. This book is required reading, especially for those who love profit but have an aversion to the ‘L’ word in the workplace.”
— Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager, the best selling management book of all time

“Dr. Baer has not only isolated the critical key to full human engagement, but he has the courage to push it forward. Recognizing that human beings have essential emotional needs, we need to change how we manage all the people around us: employees, customers, and shareholders. This book provides a very deep look at how to genuinely capture and release human commitment and contribution. I really enjoyed this book.”
— Curt Coffman, author, international best selling First Break All the Rules

"Real Love in the Workplace is a refreshing alternative to leadership-by-fear-and-domination. Don’t be fooled by the title. This book is full of hard-nosed practical advice. The fact is, the world has changed such that those who do not lead in this love-based way will fail in the new economy."
Mark Joyner, author, best selling book, Simpleology

“This is the ultimate key to business success! For many years as a retail sales and training manager, I’ve looked for that magical motivational formula, but my search is finally over! If you want a retail staff that greets and serves with enthusiasm—if you want people who glow—Real Love in the Workplace will get you there.”
— Tony Hsu, Senior Manager
Nokia Academy Global, Shanghai, China

“The key points outlined in this book are practical, meaningful and beneficial to every individual who is engaged in any type of management or leadership position. I was so impressed with the easy to follow recommendations and ideas offered by the author that I am seriously considering using this book as required reading for my leadership courses. My compliments to the author.”
— Abe Bakhsheshy, Ph.D., Professor, David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah

“With today’s globalized landscape in business and education, the only way to be truly competitive is through fostering environments of innovation and collaboration. We also live in a knowledge economy where the most valuable asset of any business is the people who work there. Real Love in the Workplace powerfully outlines what those people need most, and I'm confident that any leader in business or education that really applies the principles in this book will be surprised not only by how much success it yields in their bottom line, but also by how much more they enjoy the process.”
— P. Clint Rogers, PhD, Rollins Center for eBusiness, Marriott School, Brigham Young University

“Although I was a successful entrepreneur and alumnus of one of the country’s top graduate business schools, it wasn’t until I read Real Love in the Workplace that I learned what people want most. These principles have revised our policies and procedures, greatly reduced stress for everyone, and made management easy. Our entire corporate culture has changed.”
— Mark Aspenson, Executive Director, Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services

“Greg Baer’s Real Love in the Workplace is a valuable contribution to understanding the intense interpersonal nature of successful leadership. He clearly communicates that great managers, after all is said and done, really just care for people. I recommend this book for every manager's bookshelf who wishes to expand his or her repertoire of skills in leading people.”
— Detlev Suderow, Brandeis University, International Business School

“I’ve been a motivational speaker and corporate consultant for more than twenty years, and I rarely find a book that I believe has practical value in the workplace, but Real Love in the Workplace has blown me away!!”
— Evelyn Rice, President, Rice and Associates

“This book has impressed me deeply. In a plain and practical way, Dr. Baer has given us what we all need to significantly improve our lives and our businesses. I’ve been sharing this with everyone I know.”
— Michael Joseph Cortese, Senior Information Officer, The World Bank Group

“Dr. Baer shows real courage talking openly about a subject that is taboo for many. It is a real contribution and full of heart.”
— Dr. Scott C. Hammond, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, Utah Valley University