Show Notes: “People want to feel loved.” [1:38] As Marcel begins to dive into this sneak peek of his upcoming book, he explains exactly why he focuses on love. Every employee is someone's sister, brother, son, daughter, mother, or father, and they need and deserve to be cared for. That caring is love, and it’s a founding principle in the work and research Marcel is working toward. “Love begins as a human development process in the brain as infants are exposed to positive bonding experiences in loving homes. As we mature, hopefully, into healthy adults, we remain social animals, requiring the need to receive social and emotional stability through relationships and community.” [2:40] Why is love so important? It's been a part of us from the very beginning. And as Marcel says, the opposite of love results in extreme problems like superficiality, narcissism, and even psychopathy. These are all common problems in current management thinking and practice around the world.  “Love is a human requirement for our very survival. Our need for it transcends countries, cultures, generations, and the human race. Religions understand the importance of love.” [4:30] Marcel covers a variety of culturally diverse religions and their relationships to love, from Christianity to Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam.  “Religion, outside the context of dogma and fundamentalism, has defined the most altruistic human traits for people belonging in faith communities, in relationship to each other. Science has demonstrated the evidence for raising the bar on leadership, organizational, and human performance to energize teams and maximize profit." [6:45] Marcel takes a different approach than many, combining the values of both religion and science. He found that the discoveries of both of these pillars are incredibly aligned.  “Work is human. And for organizations to survive and thrive, love—the most powerful force on the planet—is the overlooked machine that powers teams and whole organizations to outperform the competition. The future of leadership is love in action.” [7:44] Marcel brings it home to the purpose and foundation of his book, all about humanity and love as the most powerful force. Mentioned in this episode: Marcel Schwantes