“Find something you love to do, and you'll never have to work a day in your life.” - Harvey McCay

This Saturday is Valentine’s Day, so let’s talk about the kind of love that shows up on a random Tuesday, the love for the work. Harvey Mackay said it best: “Find something you love to do, and you'll never have to work a day in your life.”

Here’s the leadership twist: if you don’t love it right now, you don’t need to quit tomorrow, but you do need to lead differently starting today.

1️⃣ Protect what you LOVE.

Leaders say they care about culture, people, and standards… then their schedule proves otherwise. What you consistently make time for is what you actually love.

Example: An administrator who “values retention” doesn’t just post jobs, they block 30 minutes weekly for stay-interviews and coaching, even when census is loud.

2️⃣ Real love has standards.

If you love your mission, stop tolerating sloppy execution. In leadership, that means you don’t let “good people” hide behind bad habits, vague expectations, or chronic exceptions.

Example: A CEO who truly cares about patient experience doesn’t allow the same handoff breakdown to happen “because we’re busy.” They fix the process, coach the leader, and measure it.

3️⃣ Love what you do.

Some leaders love the mission. Others love winning. Others love building teams. None of those are wrong, but confusion creates burnout. Clarity creates energy.

Example: A COO realized they didn’t hate leadership, they hated constant firefighting. They rebuilt their week around proactive rounding, KPIs, and decision-making rhythm. Same job. Different experience.

🏀 Final Whistle

Loving your work doesn’t mean every day feels easy, it means you know what you’re doing it for, and you lead like it matters. This week, don’t “celebrate” love, operationalize it.

✅ Today's Move

3 Actions Items ...

1. Circle the one part of your job you truly love (building people, solving problems, serving families, winning, teaching) then schedule one hour next week to do more of it.

2. Pick one “silent resentment” you’ve been tolerating (a person issue, a process issue, a standard you let slide) address it in the next 72 hours.

3. Ask your leadership team one question in your next meeting: “What are we doing right now that proves we love our mission?” (Then write down the answer and assign one upgrade.)

I'm cheering for you!