CLOSE UP // Joel Manby: Leading with love maximizes financial performance

Latest project: Love Works: Seven Timeless Principles for Effective Leaders (Zondervan).

Why do you think America is experiencing a crisis of confidence in leadership? America is filled with many great companies and great leaders, and we still have the best economy in the world. However, over the years I have witnessed a deterioration in leadership’s focus on people and the relationships they have with those they lead. It seems many leaders focus only on the numbers, and I believe leadership is a much broader calling than that. Leaders need to focus on people and profits, and they should strive to have a consistent set of values at home, at work and as we practice our faith. Finally, too many leaders are selfish and focusing on themselves versus looking out for the interests of the whole.

Working for a corporation can be very stressful. How might one or two of your principles play out when the demands are so high? One of the Love Works words is “dedicated,” and the definition is “be dedicated to leading with love in all circumstances.” One example of being dedicated: We don’t just talk about leading with love; we evaluate and pay leaders based on how well they adhere to the principles. If they hit their numbers and are consistent with our leading-with-love values, they get the top raise. If they do poorly at both, they will get a pink slip soon. We give a lot of rope to those who are good in one and not the others. The hardest decisions revolve around those who hit their financial goals, but don’t lead with love. Another one of the seven words is “unselfish.” One example of being unselfish is the foundation HFE has called Share It Forward (SIF). SIF is an internal foundation that is established to help employees in need. The foundation starts with the unselfish donations of our employees, and those donations are matched dollar for dollar by HFE. From those dollars, we fund several programs to help employees, like a catastrophic aid program, partial college scholarships, single parent assistance for their children and even scholarships to attend marriage intensives at the National Institute of Marriage [Smalley Ministries] in Branson or Atlanta. This year, we will help over 750 of our employees, and we were at only 40/year about five years ago. We are very excited about these results, and I know the presence of this foundation increases employee loyalty and dedication to the company.

Do you believe God is giving a message through you for the business world? I believe God has taught me a great deal about how to lead in a way that would be honoring to him over my 30-plus years in business. I also know for sure that leading with love produces great results; employees are more motivated and productive when there are strong relationships established at work via the lead-with-love principles. I know for a fact, based on the hundreds of letters I have read from people from around the world, that many people struggle with how to live out their faith in the business world. I cringe when young college graduates feel they have to move to a developing country and be a missionary to serve God. If one is called to missions, then by all means do it. However, we also need those called to the marketplace. Jesus called us to love as He loved us—sacrificially and in all aspects of our life.

Why is it important that Christian stores stock this book? Jesus’ No. 1 commandment was to love God and love others. He did not call us to just love our family or our friends. He called us to love everyone, including the people we work with and for. As Christians, it is critical that we understand the meaning of agape love as Paul outlined in 1 Corinthians and how that might look in the workplace. Love Works gives readers real life, practical ways to live out their faith in the day-to-day work life that most of us find ourselves in.

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