As frequent readers will notice – many of my postings contain quotes from various books that I read. To some readers the connection between some of the information I post and leadership isn’t clear – others get it immediately. Rather than make the connection for you, I choose to throw the information out and allow you, the reader, to mull over how the topic, quote or idea relates to leadership.

What follows is an excerpt from the book Theory U by Otto Scharmer:

As the Japanese philosopher Kitaro Nishida has put it: “Knowledge and love are the same mental activity; to know a thing we must love it, to love a thing we must know it.” Love, he continues, “is the power by which we grasp ultimate reality. Love is the deepest knowledge of things.”

…love takes no position, as the author David Hawkins says. Love is global, he believes, and it rises above separation. “Love is unconditional, unchanging, and permanent. It doesn’t fluctuate – its source isn’t dependent on external factors. Love is a state of being….love isn’t intellectual and doesn’t proceed from the mind. Love emanates from the heart. It has the capacity to lift others and accomplish great feats because of its purity of motive.”

What does love have to do with leadership? I invite you to post your comments. I would love to hear from you and begin a dialog.