Leading So People Will Follow

How to Be Generous

Generosity is in some ways easier to identify and cultivate than some of the other attributes. It’s still helpful to have a handful of specific behaviors to focus on if this is one of the areas where you need to develop as a leader.

Leaders Who Are Generous

1. Assume positive intent

2. Share power and authority

3. Share what they know

4. Freely give credit, praise, and reward

5. Provide the resources necessary to succeed

It’s especially important, as you assess yourself in this attribute, to be a fair witness. Because it’s embarrassing to think that we might not be generous (nobody wants to be considered a jerk, a miser, or selfish), it’s easy to sort of zip past this one, thinking, Oh yeah, sure, I’m good at that.