As I've been watching the post-Sandy coverage over the past few days, I've been thinking about the quality of generosity. Yesterday I was listening (with relief) to Bloomberg's decision not to hold the NY Marathon, and hearing the commentator talk about runners who want to donate their already reserved and paid for hotel rooms for the use of folks in New York who are without power and water - or even without homes. A lovely act of generosity.
We have a LinkedIn group called Leading So People Will Follow, and the most responded-to discussion we've ever had was about generosity. The discussion started with this, "What gestures of Generosity from leaders in your past have stuck with you over time?" As I re-read the conversation just now, I noticed how few of the responses focused on material generosity. The vast majority of them focused on acts of belief, thoughtfulness, connection, community.
Often, when I talk to leaders about the importance of generosity, their first response is some version of, "but these are tough times." That's because people assume that generosity means giving people things - and leaders assume that being generous to employees means giving raises, bonuses, big offices, perks.
Our discussion on LinkedIn reconfirmed for me that the generosity that's most meaningful and memorable to us is generosity of spirit. When people in positions of power give of themselves to us, we recognize it as a choice they're making to support us. It's actually easier and requires less effort to give "things" to our employees than it does to give them our time and knowledge; to share praise and credit; to assume they are well-intended and want to do good work.
Especially when times are tough, people look carefully to see whether a leader is generous in these ways. This is a deeply held survival mechanism: when we see that the leader is doing his or her best to share whatever resources exist within the group so that as many as possible can survive and thrive, we take it as an important signal that the leader cares more about the success of the group than about protecting him or herself.
The other great thing about generosity of spirit: when you are generous in this way, your generosity is a model for your followers. They almost automatically respond with an open mind and an open hand. When they see that you’re willing to share power, to praise and give credit, to start by assuming the best in them—they’re far more likely to treat others the same way, and the organization becomes more open, fluid, and productive.
Here's a wonderful example of this kind of generosity, of giving of oneself in support of others, from one of our LinkedIn group members, David Weinberg:
Early in my career, I directed a health planning and policy group for the City of Chicago. This group included some of the city's most powerful and influential officials and executives. One of these was Dr. James Campbell, president of Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital. People spoke of him in hushed tones. At our first meeting, he went around the large conference room pouring coffee for everyone who wanted it. A small gesture, but it made a deep impression on me. Since then, I look for opportunities to pour coffee, literally and figuratively.
As a leader, no matter what's going on in the economy or in your organization, you can always 'pour coffee.'
_____________________
Erika’s new book, Leading So People Will Follow, is now available online and in bookstores everywhere. Booklist called it "a book to read more than once, and to consult many times"
If you want to find out more about what Erika and her colleagues at Proteus do for their customers, check here.
