Jeff Brunson

“How I have come to hate that phrase, ‘I’ve been so busy.’ Is that supposed to be an excuse for people not taking time for each other? Why does it seem that being busy is some kind of status symbol in our culture?” – Pam Murray in Breathings from the Heart

Part of my mission has been further inspired by the work of Ressler and Thompson in their book Why Work Sucks. Because of that title, I probably ought to explain. It has to do with my definition of love in the organization and with the word judgment. I was surprised, and pleased, to find judgment one of the key issues being dealt with in the Ressler/Thompson book about creating a results only work environment (ROWE). And I believe judgment is a large barrier to much of what we desire in our work life … and a barrier to our love.Judgment as a Barrier
Where busyness is the direct enemy of an individual’s focus in the 21st Century, judgment is the sap laden kindling for the fire of distraction. As leaders, judgment blinds us to the uniqueness and importance of the individual. Judgment leads us to focus on the unimportant in a relationally destructive way – while simultaneously distracting us from self-love.

Love is a word that, in our organizational life, causes many people to cringe. Of just what are we afraid? The first thing we are afraid of is … our self. There is a foundational principle involved here. A principle that is about the individual – you cannot give and/or leverage what you don’t acknowledge in and for yourself. The bottom line is that we cannot show love in the organization when we are not showing it to self.

Leaders in the workplace need to step forward in love and:
~ Eliminate unfair judgment
~ Embrace the uniqueness of each person
~ Execute with creative accountability

The leader’s love in the organization is about leading others with confidence – and leading others to their own confidence.

This is the confident leader’s love song.