Tina Turner’s hit song, “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” could easily be an anthem for the way most people think about workplace relationships.  Love isn’t really the kind of thing that most people are comfortable discussing in the work world. In fact, the implications can be a bit unsettling for folks who want to keep their distance from things like harassment charges and dicey workplace romances.  I’m not that skittish about it, so I blurt out the word on occasion without much regard to whether or not someone might take it wrong.  Still I get where the hesitation comes from.

Earlier today, I received this wonderful “love infographic” in celebration of Valentine’s Day from my friends and colleagues at Gagen-MacDonald that reaffirmed the value of openly sharing genuine – and appropriate – expressions of love in the workplace.

With all the buzz around employee engagement these days, the “gift of love” from Gagen-MacDonald made me think of the phrase we use to talk about what we’re up to in life – and what we want to bring to the world of work at Landes & Associates.  We say we’re all about “Creating great organizations where employees love to work and customers love doing business.”  It’s right there in big, bold letters on the home page of our website.  Occasionally, when I look at it and when I say it out loud, I get a tad bit sheepish.  Then I get a message from the universe like the one I got today from Gagen-MacDonald, and I know we’re on the right track.

So what’s love got to do with it?  When it comes to people, it’s pretty much everything.  At least it’s where everything starts.

Here’s love to all of you!