What’s love got to do with it?

I mentioned that several years ago I wrote a book entitled More Bricks Less Straw as a leader’s guide to moving your team from compliance to commitment.  What I didn’t mention was the fact that I was afraid to use a term for this type of leader that I had believed to be true.  I believe that great leaders love those they work with.  Yes I said love.  Your reaction to that is the reason I didn’t use it.  I thought I would be dismissed as an author if I did; so I used the term values-centered.  However, the value I was thinking was love.  If I were you I would be asking what love’s got to do with leadership.  I guess I need to define the type of love I am referring to.  In the Greek there are several words that translate to the English word love.  One of them is agape.  An agape love is defined as holding in high regard, selfless or sacrificial love.  Unlike romantic love or the love we feel for a family member, agape is more a choice rather than the result of attraction or birth.  Since agape is a choice on my part, it requires nothing from the object of my love in terms of earning or deserving.  I can love you in an agape sense whether or not I even like you.  I wonder what might happen if your team or your client sensed that you loved them.  If they felt your high regard or saw you as selfless and sacrificial on their behalf, how might they respond?   I believe in the theory of reciprocity; you get what you give.  If you love them first, how might they show you love in return?