Love Leads the Way: Reimagining Leadership for a Better World

There is a quiet power in love that often goes unrecognized in leadership. For me, love has always been a central guiding principle, not as sentiment. It is an active force grounded in responsibility, connection, and care. My personal and professional journey has consistently brought me back to this truth: love is not just compatible with leadership - it’s essential to it.

From my early experiences in Native ceremonies and transformational workshops to managing a bike shop at sixteen and earning a scholarship to the Authentic Leadership Conference, my path has always been relational, intuitive, and purpose driven. These formative moments taught me that leadership isn’t about status, it’s about service, truth-telling, and creating space for growth.

Love, as a leadership principle, offers a framework rooted in empathy, humility, courage, and accountability. It’s not abstract. It’s how we show up: in conflict, in service, and in relationship. Love, when practiced intentionally, has the power to transform systems, not just individuals.

Yet in many organizational spaces, love is dismissed as too emotional or irrelevant. I disagree. Love is a practical force for building trust, motivating teams, and inspiring innovation. It invites us to lead with vulnerability, to embrace imperfection, and to foster inclusive environments where people feel safe, seen, and empowered; and can show up as their whole selves.

Through leading community programs, supporting youth, and serving on nonprofit boards, I’ve seen love build cultures of integrity, resilience, and possibility. Leadership grounded in love is not easy. It requires presence, courage, and risk. But it also brings clarity, transformation, and healing.

As I continue my research and consulting practice, I’m asking: What becomes possible when love is no longer hidden, but a central guiding principle to organizational life? What if we lead from wholeness instead of fear? What if love guided not only our intentions, but our systems?

We may not be able to measure love precisely, but we can feel its impact. Love is not a distraction from leadership: it is the compass. And in choosing to lead with love, we choose a path toward justice, connection, and collective flourishing.