Generous Leaders

from Able Leader, August 2007

by Steve Kaye

Effective leaders give things. For example, here are ten.

1) Skills

Leaders help others become more successful by providing skills. They do this by coaching their staff on how to optimize job performance. They teach by setting an example of what to do. And they buy training programs. In fact, they support these training programs by attending the sessions, using the skills presented, and expecting others to apply what they learned.

2) Opportunities

Leaders assign tasks that provide opportunities to learn, grow, and achieve. Sometimes they select opportunities based on strategic considerations that move people through new experiences so that they can advance in their careers. And so, leaders do more than just assign tasks; they orchestrate people's development. Through this, they build a talented human resource and cultivate future leaders.

3) Tests

Sometimes leaders ask questions to probe knowledge. They put people in situations that reveal ethics. And they give assignments that determine ability. Leaders use these tests to measure development, growth, and potential. Then they use the results of the tests to plan coaching, opportunities, and rewards.

4) Nothing

We live in a finite world with finite resources. Thus, leaders sometimes choose to deny requests. Or, they may ignore requests. This forces people to use existing resources, invent new options, or find other resources. It also challenges people to find other ways to ask for what they want.

5) Power

Some results are purchased with power. And so leaders expand their influence by giving power to others. They can also use this as a test to determine how candidate leaders use power. Wise leaders also know that every successful relationship (professional and personal) is based on shared power.

6) Rewards

Certainly, good performance warrants a reward. Leaders use a variety of rewards to compensate people for their efforts, such as praise, recognition, prestige, opportunities, training, and resources. They also, of course, provide pay, promotions, and raises. Note that some leaders use rewards as a test to determine how people respond to having different degrees of social, emotional, and monetary wealth.

7) Gifts

Gifts are unexpected. Sometimes they're unearned. They are, simply, gifts. Leaders give them because they work from a mindset of prosperity, abundance, and generosity. And in so doing, they show others how to achieve prosperity by expressing abundance through generosity.

8) Direction

By definition leaders have a vision of something better. Then they imagine a way to achieve that vision. They set goals, they make plans, they devise strategies. And then they tell others how they can be part of it. This can include specific instructions or general guidelines. It can take the form of setting expectations. In any case, leaders point ahead toward the future.

9) Hope

Hope is the fuel that keeps people working when everything seems impossible. It inspires. It nourishes. It rewards. And thus, leaders find hope. Then they hold it up like a lantern for everyone to see.

10) Truth

Leaders tell the truth. They give candid answers. They explain details, options, and consequences. They tell people everything that they need to know. They also expect others to tell them the truth. They do this because truth serves as a foundation for sustainable results. And good leaders build things that are designed to last.

By the way, when you consider leaders that you know, how generous are they?

This is an important question because it relates to something larger than giving the things on this list.

It reveals their courage, their values, and their worth.

And that defines their effectiveness.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300