He had personally spent the last minutes of life with over 300 people.  He was with them as life left their bodies.  If fact, he had spent weeks with many of them as they battled their maladies in hospice care relentlessly declining toward death.

And now he sat across from Oprah talking about life and death.

“Is there a common theme to the kinds of questions people ask at the end of their days?  Oprah asked.

“Absolutely”, he responded.

The audience paused, seemingly holding their breath, listening for what they believed would be an incredible insight into the meaning of life…or at least what’s meaningful in life.

“Without exception, every person I have had the privilege of accompanying in their dying days asks two questions of their life: ‘Was I loved?’ and ‘Did I love well?’”, was his insightful reply.

“Was I loved?” and “Did I love well?”

At the end of our days it comes down to that – love.

Poets, writers and musicians for millennia have been telling us it’s all about love.  Wasn’t it the Beatles who told us, “All you need is love”?  Some say love makes the world go round, while others say it is what makes the ride worthwhile.

Based on the insights of this man who has shared the dying moments of hundreds of people, it all seems to come down to love – to love and be loved.

If this is what appears to be the standard by which many ultimately measure the success of their lives, why do we not talk about ‘love’ at work?  Work is such an important part of our lives, should ‘love’ not be part of our work culture?

Let’s create a common definition of love for this discussion:  Firstly, I’m not talking about sex or romance.  Love is a deep, heartfelt care for and commitment to another person.  It is a commitment to care.  True love is sacrificial – “your good at my expense.”

Here’s an interesting customer service mission statement: “To love”.

Patrick Lencione has indicated there are 3 things every employee wants:

1. They want to know they are cared for.
2. They want to know their work matters.
3. They need a means of measuring the contribution of their work.

Employees want to know they are cared for – dare we say we want to know we are “loved”?

Think back to the person who has had the greatest influence on your life?  I’ll bet it is probably your mother, father, sibling, relative, coach, teacher, or any other person who you were close to.  In fact, I am certain you would say one of the reasons they greatly influenced you was because they loved you.  You knew they cared about you deeply.  And, they encouraged you to be and do more than you thought you could be or do.

Great leaders, and great people for that matter, believe they are meant to be spent for the benefit of others.  They realize there are only 2 ways to live:  1. Spend yourself for the benefit of others, or 2. Spend others for your own benefit.

Put another way, great people recognize the need to love people and use things, not love things and use people.

Love is a phenomenal investment.  When we choose to love others, others will love us in return.  What we sow we will reap.

Love is an action – love ‘does’.  I am not just talking about ‘touchy feely’ stuff.  I am talking about action that deeply values and cares for people.  Real love rolls up its sleeves and gets to work.  Love works.  And, love gets results.

What would your corporate culture look like if everyone on your team was committed to loving each other?  I’ll bet people would love coming to work.  What would your sales look like if your customers really felt ‘loved’?

So, should not love become part of the language of leadership and our work culture?  Is it time to cast aside our awkwardness with the language of love at work; to get free from the dissonance with our deep heart’s desire as humans, and recognize that love works?

It’s time to recognize that love works, and belongs at work.