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Jeremy had created an extraordinary dish for me . A few moments later , he came by the table to see how I liked it . I told him it was terrific , probably because it was made with love . Jeremy got serious for a moment and said , “ If you can ’ t do it with love , why do it at all ?
Chef Jeremy gets it . He understands that when we allow love to define who we are as we work , we become irresistible leaders with a contagious passion for what we do .
I know that it is possible to love the work we perform , love the people we work with , and love the people we ultimately serve .
Defining the Irresistible Ingredient
To begin , we must reorient our conventional understanding of the term love , defining it as finding a deep-seated passion for what we do , the people we do it with , and the people we do it for . Regardless of the type of work we do , we can find fulfillment and meaning in at least one of these areas .
Take Sam , for instance .
One hot South African afternoon , a stranger photographed him carrying a frail 75-year-old man down the side of a busy road . The rescued man had missed his bus home and collapsed outside the Pick n ’ Pay where Sam Tsukudu has worked for twenty-plus years .
Sam ’ s heroic act of kindness is just part of who he is . He walks a blind man home from the store every week and helps him unpack his bags . Over a decade of friendship , Tsukudu decodes what groceries Chandler needs , using bits and pieces of empty cartons and labels .
According to one of Sam ’ s customers , “ We can ’ t imagine Pick n ’ Pay without him . He always comes to our rescue and says , “ Don ’ t Fear ; Sam is near .”
I don ’ t know Sam , obviously , but I ’ d be willing to wager he loves his work and his customers . When I first read the story , I was reminded of Duke Ellington . He used to end his performances with “ Love you madly !”
Can you say — or at least think — something like that at the end of your “ performance ” each day ? Do you find satisfaction for fulfillment in your daily responsibilities ? Do you enjoy working with your colleagues on specific projects or for a common cause ? Do you desire to see your business or company have an impact on your town , city , or country ? And if no , why not ?
Our lives and work are marked by love when we seek to give instead of receive , focus on how we do something rather than just doing it , see a task as a privilege rather than an obligation , make relationship a priority , and more beyond simple action to the accompanying emotions .
“ Love is paying attention . We don ’ t ignore that which we love , whether a person or an activity . Focus equals fondness .”
To begin , we must reorient our conventional understanding on the term love , defining it as finding a deep-seated passion for what we do , the people we do it with , and the people we do it for .
Adding the Irresistible Ingredient
Kahil Gibran famously said , “ Work is love made visible .” That probably sounded exotic back in seventh grade when we didn ’ t have a job … but after a few years of employment , I wonder how many of us could quote him with a straight face ?
But there are those who love — whether it be what they do , who they do it with , who they do it for , or all three — and they “ make love visible ” in a variety of ways .
For love to make any difference it needs to be demonstrated and not simply felt ; it needs to be both attitude and action . To remember what can be done to infuse the irresistible ingredient into any type of work , I use the acronym “ P-R-A-C-T-I-C-E-S .” If you can understand the powerful upside of adding love to your work , here ’ s a way to do it regardless of your job or title or lack thereof .
Patience : I don ’ t think Mother Theresa woke up in the morning and mourned , “ Oh Lord , not more lepers !” She did some of the hardest work on the planet , and seemed to be far more fulfilled and content than we who sit comfortably in our air-conditioned office . How could that be ?
Continued on page 30 Spring 2018 29 The Credit Professional