This is one positive way to differentiate yourself as a leader generosity.
Generosity is a multifaceted ability that can take many forms. While financial generosity (such as charitable donations and philanthropy) is certainly important, and often times, when people think of someone as generous, there are other expressions of generosity that should be considered.
After many years of studying the life and work of Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, I was struck by how many of his former students, colleagues, and associates (many in leadership positions) from the generosity of time, talent, knowledge and attention.
Leadership: Sharing Time and Talent
Even late in life, Drucker’s schedule was very busy as a writer, consultant, and professor at the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California, where he taught until his death at the age of 95 in 2005.
However, Drucker often made time for others, sharing his knowledge and being a role model, including in advancing the careers of former students. He also demonstrated a spirit of generosity by mentoring people, including high-level executives such as the late Max De Pree, longtime CEO of the innovative furniture/design firm Herman Miller. One of the company’s executives, Michelle Hunt, described De Pre’s patronage of him and its accidental consequences: “Max was generous,” Hunt wrote in 2010, “and he gave Herman Miller executives access to Peter. I took full advantage of that opportunity, and Peter became my mentor.”
Volunteering: new interests, skills and talents
Drucker believed that volunteering was essential to help create what he called a “active society.” Her influential consulting has ranged from large non-profit organizations such as the Girl Scouts of the USA and the Salvation Army to smaller arts, educational and cultural institutions. The knowledge workers he influenced became such voluntary settings as the local chamber of commerce, hospitals, hospices, schools, museums and other cultural institutions.
In a 2002 speech at a major conference of business librarians in Los Angeles, Drucker outlined a simple formula for finding volunteer opportunities: Find an organization that aligns with your values, something you believe in, and work for it. This benefits the performer, but also contributes to the organization and enhances its mission.
He also emphasized that as a volunteer you meet people you might not interact with otherwise. Volunteering can also help keep your main job from taking over your life, and you can discover new interests, skills and talents. Chances are, in a volunteer environment, you can take on leadership roles that your current job doesn’t offer.
Servant Leadership: Defining Reality
One of the most generous forms of leadership is servant leadership, which was first coined in the 1970s by the late Robert K. Greenleaf, an AT&T executive, author and leadership expert, is still gaining traction.
As by Robert K. The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership described: “Servant leadership is non-traditional leadership. philosophythat is a set of behaviors and practices that place primary focus on the well-being of those served.
Drucker was Greenleaf’s friend, professional partner, and neighbor, and wrote the foreword to Greenleaf’s collection of writings. About becoming a servant-leader. Although servant leadership was not another topic Drucker wrote about, it is consistent with his belief that leaders must be humble and put the needs of their organizations before themselves.
Servant leadership is also consistent with Drucker’s belief that leadership is not based on individual charisma or personality. personal magnetism but in hard work, effort, effort, stabilityand a sense of responsibility.
Herman Miller’s Max De Pree was both a practitioner and exponent of this type of leadership. In his book Leadership is an artwrites: “The first responsibility of the leader is to determine the reality. The last one is to say thank you. Between these two leaders, one should become a servant and a debtor.”
Essential leadership reading
Moments of Impact: Becoming a Generous Leader
Joe Davis has been with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) for nearly 40 years, serving as Managing Director and Senior Partner. He also chairs the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, Whitman College. His LinkedIn profile notes that he is “on a mission of leadership generosity.”
Although he did not specifically write about servant leadership in his book The Generous Leader: 7 Ways to Give of Yourself for the Good of Allhis message fits this concept well. He deliberately expressed the generosity of his leadership at BCG, showing that senior leaders can take the time to show care, kindness, good manners, and gratitude. He also advocates for positive recognition of colleagues (including the creation of truly heartfelt handwritten notes) and other forms of modern virtues that are not always displayed in the halls of power.
Organizational employees (and by extension, volunteers too) need to know that their leaders genuinely care about them. “Today’s expectations,” Davis writes, “are based on the recognition of humanity, the recognition of the fundamental importance of quality of life, and the acceptance of true partnership.”
