Love and Listening: What Today's Workers Really Need

Throughout my career, I have been passionate about whatever I am doing. I cannot seem to help it!  As a Registered Nurse who became an Executive and now works as a Senior Workforce Transformation Consultant at Perceptyx, I have learned that passion alone is not enough — we need love, continuous listening, and action to transform organizations.

When Love Makes the Difference

In my nursing career, I fell in love with caring for others. As I entered healthcare leadership, I carried these same feelings with me. The teams I led with love consistently overcame insurmountable obstacles and achieved goals that many had written off as unattainable. 

Research from our Center for Workforce Transformation supports this experience. For example, we found that employees who report having an effective leader are 24x more likely to experience meaning, psychological safety, and belonging at work. Those who lack confidence in leadership are 5x less engaged than their peers.

The Impact of Listening 

Work and productivity without love are just work. But love without listening is not enough either. At Perceptyx, we are seeing organizations shift their listening strategies toward broader "belonging" efforts and overall employee experience. Some are moving away from traditional engagement metrics to focus on whether employees feel connected, supported, and able to show up as their whole, authentic selves.

These are not just buzzwords. As organizations adapt their listening strategies, they’re finding that belonging is essential for engagement. Just as in nursing, where a patient's sense of being listened to and heard influences their healing process, an employee's sense of belonging fundamentally shapes their work experience and engagement.

I learned in nursing that metrics alone — vital signs, lab results — never tell the full story about the whole person. Similarly, our research shows that organizations achieving the best results are those that combine structured listening with genuine care for their employee's well-being.

What Makes a Leader Great

In my nursing career, I saw the difference great leadership could make — not just to engagement, but also patient experience. Now at Perceptyx, our 2024 research has quantified what sets the best leaders apart. Our Center for Workforce Transformation studied 17 unique behaviors to identify what truly distinguishes great leaders.

Love shows up in five key ways among the best leaders we studied:

1. They inspire others: As a nurse leader, I learned it was not enough to make patient care assignments. The best leaders help people see the meaning in their work — whether connecting the dots of patient care for a billing specialist or helping a nurse understand how documentation improves patient outcomes.
   
   
2. They develop their people: This means really investing in each person's growth and professional development. I saw this in healthcare when great leaders helped Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) become Registered Nurses, or Registered Nurses become Nurse Practitioners. Great and effective leaders see potential and actively help people reach it.
   
   
3. They plan effectively: In nursing, poor planning could mean life or death. While stakes might be different in other industries, the principle remains: great leaders create clarity, equip team members with the tools needed to be successful and remove obstacles so their teams can focus on what matters.
   
   
4. They communicate a clear vision: The best leaders can make even the most routine tasks feel like part of something bigger. Our research shows this ability to connect daily work to a larger purpose sets the best leaders apart.
   
   
5. They manage change well: My tenure as a Naval Officer, Nurse Leader, and Healthcare Executive taught me that change is constant — new procedures, technologies, and regulations. The best leaders do not just announce changes; they help people understand why change is happening and how to maintain a sense of stability even during transitions.

Avoid the Basics That Break Teams

Our research also identified five non-negotiables that can prevent a leader from being seen as ineffective:

• Integrity (trust is everything),
• Effective communication (not just talking, but listening),
• Expertise (enough to guide, lead, and support the team),
• Taking action (making decisions when needed), and
• Customer focus (keeping sight of who we serve).

I learned these basics at the bedside — you cannot lead a nursing unit or healthcare system without them. Our research shows they are universal across industries. When any of these are missing, no amount of inspiration or vision can make up for it.

The Next Generation Demands More

For some, loving your team may sound unprofessional. Yet our Perceptyx research shows this approach is not just nice to have — it is essential for the next generation of workers. When I began my nursing career, older and more tenured workers accepted rigid schedules and hierarchical leadership as part of the job. Today's Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012), who will make up about 24% of the global workforce by 2025, has radically different expectations.

Our numbers tell the story: 72% of Gen Z workers have considered leaving jobs that lack flexible work policies. On top of that, 54% report being "not engaged" at work, and 65% quit within their first year. As someone who fell in love with nursing despite its traditional structure, these statistics make me wonder: how can we create workplaces where young people want to stay, thrive, and grow?

Part of the answer lies in genuine care and active listening. Our research reveals that Gen Z wants leaders who demonstrate real commitment to their values. Consider this: 68% are dissatisfied with their organization's diversity and inclusion efforts and 56% will not even consider jobs at companies lacking diverse leadership. Forty percent have even turned down opportunities that conflicted with their personal values.

Take it from a retired United States Navy Commander: This is not about being "soft." Rather, it is about creating workplaces where people can bring their whole selves to work and feel truly heard. Just as I learned that each patient needs individualized care, today's leaders must recognize that younger workers need personalized approaches to engagement and development.

Partner with Perceptyx and Go Beyond Average Leadership

Can you be effective without love? Maybe. Can you be great? I do not think so. I learned this in nursing, confirmed it in healthcare leadership, and now see it validated through Perceptyx's research. Just as we monitor vital signs to assess health and wellness, organizations and their leaders need regular checkups and feedback to thrive.

The feedback we have analyzed tells us that the most successful leaders:

• Make expectations clear,
• Ensure open lines of communication,
• Show genuine interest in team member growth and development, 
• Create environments where people feel psychologically safe, and
• Recognize and celebrate team member contributions.

Tina Turner asked, "What's love got to do with it?" In leadership, everything. But it must be paired with active listening to create lasting impact. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love," to serve others. Our research proves yet again that he was right — and shows that when we add structured listening and action to the mix and flavored by love, extraordinary results follow. 

Want to learn how Perceptyx can help your organization build a culture of love, listening, and action? Schedule a meeting with our team today.