And the greatest motive for obedience is...

"The greatest motive for obedience is love resulting from gratitude" -Dan DeHaan

Every other motive to obey is second-place and second-rate to that of love. If followers obey their leader out of fear, force, or selfish reward, there is something missing in the relationship. This kind of relationship is contingent on the idea behind social exchange theory: if there is nothing better offered, then the followers will stay. However, the moment a better opportunity presents itself, obedience is lost. To the followers, they become most concerned with what they gain of this leader-follower relationship.

Now, let's turn the tables and flip the room upside down. If the followers know they are loved, things change. Let me use an example: you are stuck in your home that is on fire, you're trapped in your bedroom, smoke is rising, and hope for making it out is fading. As you are going through final thoughts on life, a firefighter busts through the window. He scoops you up and takes you to safety. You find out he saved the rest of your family as well. Now how do you treat such a person? I doubt you're going to spit in his face. Rather, you're going to be asking him how you can repay him, even if it seems you never could pay back such a selfless act of love. And this is the key: your overflowing gratefulness for his display of love motivates you to ask him how you can repay.

In the same way, as a leader, show your love and appreciation for your followers, and you will be a successful leader. That is, followers are actually willing to follow. The success is not a direct result of the leader's work, but it originates from the environment he or she creates for work to be done. A leader's care for his or her followers translates into an environment of thankful and willing followers, thereby creating a successful work environment. Now the paradigm is shifted: the followers became most concerned with obeying their leader out of thankfulness. No longer is it a pursuit of self-interest but rather one of group-interest.

From a leader's perspective, that is a not a self-gaining love. Insincere love can always be detected. Dan DeHaan also said, "All true love involves sacrifice." Thus, a leader must sacrifice to show he or she really cares. Followers are responsive when they know their leader really loves them: it shows them this is a leader of worthy character, a leader that is worthy to be followed.

Mr. Brandon Heath puts it well: "Love never fails"

And I'd like to leave you with a question. It might seem like an odd one but it's a thinker: Would you be more willing to follow your boss if he washed your feet?

With joy,
Andrew Battiato