Lead with LQ: The Top 3 Ways Using Care, Courage, and Connection

If AI is the new brain of business, then Love Intelligence (LQ) must be the new leadership heart.

Leaders who master the 3Cs: Care, Courage, Connection — create teams that trust more, perform better, and follow willingly.

Here are the top three ways to lead with LQ:

1. CARE: Lead by Seeing People, Not Just Performance

Care is not softness.

Care is awareness, the ability to notice what others usually miss.

Leaders show Care by:

• listening without interruption
• noticing emotional signals
• giving people space to speak honestly
• asking “How can I support you?” instead of “Why isn’t this done?”

Care tells your team:

“You matter. Your thoughts matter. Your well-being matters.”

When people feel seen, they perform at their highest level.

Care builds trust.

Trust builds commitment.

2. COURAGE: Lead by Doing What Is Right, Not What Is Comfortable

Courage is the power centre of LQ.

Most leaders avoid tough conversations.

They fear conflict, rejection, or hurting feelings.

But avoiding truth destroys performance.

LQ Courage means:

• giving honest feedback with respect
• addressing the problem early, not later
• standing firm on values
• making decisions even when uncertain
• challenging outdated assumptions

Courage tells your team:

“I care enough to tell you the truth.”

This is the deepest form of love in leadership, because it helps people grow.

Courage creates clarity.

Clarity creates results.

3. CONNECTION: Lead by Uniting Hearts Before Strategies

Connection is the leadership multiplier.

People don’t follow strategies, 

they follow leaders they feel connected to.

Leaders build Connection by:

• showing authenticity, not perfection
• sharing stories, not just instructions
• recognising contributions publicly
• creating small moments of human warmth
• aligning team purpose with individual purpose

Connection tells your team:

“We are in this together.”

When people feel connected, they collaborate faster, innovate more, and stay longer.

Connection fuels culture.

Culture fuels growth.

The Simple Formula for Leading with LQ

CARE → Trust

COURAGE → Growth

CONNECTION → Commitment

With these three forces combined,

you become the kind of leader people don’t just work for —

they work with,

they work because of,

and they work beyond expectations.

That is the true power of Love Intelligence.