Warren Buffett says the biggest proof that you’ve had a successful life comes down to 1 word: love
The chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, the greatest investor of our generation, is also an advocate of personal development and frequently shares a series of tips that seek to help you have a better life.
One of Buffett’s most famous pearls of pure, unadulterated wisdom is the key to personal success. This teaching is especially timely, in light of the tragedy surrounding the senseless murder of George Floyd.
As the nation grapples with daily protests, riots and looting, it is fitting to me that the most missing element in quelling the flames of racism boils down to one four-letter word espoused by Buffett in this famous quote:
«Basically, when you get to my age, you will really measure your success in life by the number of people you want to love you and who really love you. That is the ultimate test of how you have lived your life. “The more you give love, the more you get.”
Love is the most powerful force in the universe and, in good practice in relationship with other human beings, should give you a personal or business advantage throughout life, as it has for Buffett.
And the best way to launch love as definitive proof of a successful life is to give it as a gift.
As Buffett says in this quote, people cannot be in a position to receive love if they are not willing to put themselves in a position to give it away. To that end, here are three ways business professionals can manifest practical love with positive effects on business results.
Society has taught us that we have to compete and “win” at all costs to get to the top, sometimes at the expense of others. Along the way, we become absorbed and forget about service, compassion, gratitude and respect. In other words, we forget how to love in the workplace.
Our peers, colleagues, and co-workers are humans like the rest of us; They want to experience connection, caring, and kindness—the behaviors associated with actionable love so they can feel safe and like they belong, do their best work, and perform at their highest level.
Loving your employees is best expressed by valuing them as human beings, removing obstacles from their path, and giving them the opportunity to do what they do best each day.
Love in leadership is demonstrated by encouraging employees to think and act like individual entrepreneurs; It allows them to take action, take risks and make decisions as if they themselves had founded the company.
This is what will set you up for success. And when they are successful, so is their business.
To provide more value than your competitors, learn the rare virtue of empathy as a business practice to understand your customers on a deeper level.
Spend more time with them and develop honest relationships on a real human level of understanding about their true needs.
Many companies fail because they are more focused on adding bells and whistles to their products than on first listening carefully to their customers’ felt needs and then providing real value. In other words, they are more in love with their product than their customer, which can be costly.
By putting Buffett’s rule into practice, giving more love to get more love, a successful life is just around the corner.
