Musings | Love Languages at Work
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”
Understanding how others communicate and what is important to them can help us create and sustain meaningful and healthy relationships with everyone around us – our colleagues, families, and partners.
We all have our own love language, well, maybe not our own unique love language, but undoubtedly specific ways we want to be shown love and how we offer our love to others. In other words, actions that fill us up. Gary Chapman is the author who uncovered the five love languages and how these preferences impact our relationships both with romantic partners and our colleagues at work. Carol Bruess, Ph.D. describes the love languages in this way “. . . love is a bit like a country’s currency: One coin or bill has great value in a particular country, less value in the countries that border it, and zero value in many other countries. In relationships, it’s essential to learn the emotional currency of the humans we hold dear, and identifying their love language is part of it. When we understand our love language and that of others, we can ask for what we need and provide the same for others.
To learn more about what the five love languages are and how this awareness can help your personal and professional relationships, check out the table below:
While it might seem odd to talk about love languages in the context of work, it is about learning what makes us all tick. When we understand that, we can create spaces where people feel loved and supported. When that happens, we can all thrive. You can access the love languages quiz here.