Love Is The Most Reliable Leadership Strategy 

By Chelsea Stoll

February is the month of Love, which means it’s the perfect time to talk about love in leadership! 

When I say that I believe in love as a leadership strategy, I don’t say it flippantly. I’ve spent years studying Love in its many forms, and my certainty comes from a historical, psychological, and personal perspective.

Love has always been the invisible string holding societies together. Long before we talked about performance metrics or organizational culture, humans understood something fundamental: people flourish when they are valued, protected, and seen.  

The ancient Greeks were among the first to articulate this clearly. They did not reduce love to romance. Instead, they understood love as a plural force, one essential to civic life and social stability. Greek philosophers described three distinct types of love:

Philia - the affection and loyalty between friends and citizens

Agape - selfless love rooted in moral responsibility and care for the collective

Eros the creative force that draws us toward meaning, beauty, and growth

Leadership was not about dominance or control. It was about stewardship of human bonds and shared responsibility. Centuries later, that wisdom still holds. 

Modern research confirms what ancient philosophy intuited. The Harvard Study of Adult Development (one of the longest-running studies on human flourishing) has shown repeatedly that strong, close relationships are the most reliable predictor of long-term well-being, health, and life satisfaction. These rank higher than status, wealth, and achievement.

The leaders who endure during the hardest of times are rarely remembered for their authority alone. They are remembered for their capacity to love in disciplined, courageous ways. Leaders like Nelson Mandela, who chose reconciliation over retribution; Dorothy Day, who built movements around radical hospitality and human dignity; and Václav Havel, who believed moral imagination mattered more than power. And today, we have Taylor Swift, who has demonstrated that leading through people is a great way to build your empire! 

I recently read this article from the Greater Good Science Center about the importance of feeling loved.  The author describes the very important disconnect between being loved and feeling loved.  Most of us have people who love us, but sometimes the feeling gets lost in translation.  I believe the same is true for the workplace. 

Love at work looks different, but is equally important in its need to be felt. We love at work by leaning into the human potential of others and empowering that part of them. This leadership is not about being liked, avoiding conflict, or lowering standards. Love at work is deciding to stay humble and human in the face of pressure. It’s in the necessity to lean into those around you, into enabling the power of collaboration in the face of pressure. 

I believe in and honor love because history shows us that love is what humans return to when everything else fails. When systems break down, love rebuilds them. I’m suggesting we lean into that love sooner in the process.  We build it into the systems to prevent failure, not to remedy it. 

When trust erodes, love restores it. When leadership falters, love steadies the hand.