What’s love got to do with it?

Love is not an emotion one associates with work, and you don’t often see posts about love, here on LinkedIn.?

I celebrated 10 years at Aperian Global earlier this month and was overwhelmed by the love and appreciation that my colleagues showed me. I looked back at 10 years that I have spent loving what I do, and being able to bring my whole self to work. I realise this is a privilege and I haven't crafted a smart response to the question “How did you get into Culture and Inclusion training?” as I have a random monster.com search to thank for that. And my mother....

This is where love steps in.

It was late evening in Feb 2012 as I sat staring at a beautiful Excel sheet looking highly confused, when my mum walked in and asked me what was on my mind. “I can’t seem to make up my mind about where I want to work next.” I said. “There’s this company called Aperian Global, that I have never heard of. They do some really interesting work though - it seems like they have real purpose and I loved the people I spoke with.” I confessed sheepishly. My Excel sheet provided a grid of weightages and scores showing factors that were important to me and the ranking of 3 companies I was considering. Very analytical and Aperian Global wasn't winning, until...

To her it seemed like her daughter was overcomplicating things as always, as she said, “Just go with your heart.” and smiled and walked away.

And so I did. I took that leap of faith only to discover this gem. I have not felt like I have had to ‘work’ over the last 10 years as my own values and purpose are aligned with those of Aperian Global. Thanks to the incredible passion that our co-founders Ted Dale and Ernest Gundling have built this amazing place on.

So, here’s my idea of TLC in the corporate world:

• Trust: I needed to be aware of and distinguish between the right thing to do (as society or my Excel would have predicted), and what doing the right thing for me was.?Trust continues to be the foundation on which we listen to ourselves and build great places to work.
• Love: this beautiful word that is often misunderstood is what got me my job. As we spend 40 hours and so much more each week at work, my hope is that others find it too, and I hope I can contribute in my own little way.
• Courage: it took me courage to make that decision, especially when I had another higher-paying offer with a large global MNC. It still takes courage to work in the space of DEI where you are required to push boundaries to create change.

Perhaps next in line after Inclusion and Belonging is… Love?