Moshe’s Blog

3 Keys to Becoming a Generous Leader

Ask Not How Little, But How Much You Can Offer

In 1998, when entrepreneur and activist Dan Pallotta came up with the idea of three-day walks for breast cancer, the big innovation was asking participants to do as much as they could – training for six months, raising significant funds from friends and family, and then walking sixty miles over three days.

He presumed people would care and give of themselves generously – and they sure did. In contrast, most charitable initiatives meekly asked for as little time and money as possible, as though stinginess was to be expected.

Consider your generosity as a leader. Ask yourself how much you can pay employees, how much you can invest in customer service, and so on. When you model generosity, your people will respond in kind. It’s one way to profitably put the uplifting power of amare, or love, to work in your business. FYI, for more on how to join other companies making love part of their business practice, download my free ebook, 10 Ways to Catch the Amare Wave.

Reflect on these questions:

Is the fundamental mindset in your organization closer to generosity or stinginess?

What beliefs about the nature of people influence your generosity as a leader?

Are you willing to consider making generosity part of your leadership style?

3 Amare Ways to Become a Generous Leader

1. Get clear on what generosity means to you. Take five minutes and write your beliefs about what generosity looks like in your business. Write what you think will happen when you are, and are not, generous. You may find some limiting beliefs to release.

2. Flex your generosity muscles. When faced with business choices, ask yourself: What would I do if I was generous in this situation? Then, experiment and be generous sometimes. Notice what happens, including your internal reactions.

3. Do a “Generosity SWOT” for your company. Brainstorm with your team what strengths and weaknesses you have with respect to generosity. Go big and explore traditions, culture, rewards, etc. Then identify both opportunities to be more generous company-wide and threats that may inhibit generosity.

Make it a leadership practice to regularly ask how much you can do, especially when the status quo is offering as little as possible. You’ll find generosity is a real game changer.