The Seven Ways To Become A Generous Leader

Speaking about his new book, The Generous Leader, author Joe Davis says, “This book is about the ways in which you can become a generous leader to be part of something bigger than yourself.”

He adds that the old model for a leader – a top-down, unilateral, single-focus boss, isn’t effective in today’s workplace. “That old model no longer attracts talent, invites collaboration, or gets the best results from the team. That leader’s time is passed. Today, there is a need for a more human-centered, bighearted, authentic way to lead,” adds Davis.

To help you become a generous leader, Davis introduces you to seven essential elements that he believes will develop you into a leader for the future.

The seven elements are:

Generous Communication: Be real to build deep connections. Be available to connect with the person, and not just the person in their role to make them feel seen.
Generous Listening: Be sincerely curious about another’s perspective. Ask thoughtful questions. Ask “why” often.
Generous Inclusion: Be inclusive to invite collaboration and show respect.
The Generous Ally: Take chances to make chances for others.
Generous Development: Validate strengths and success, identify expansive opportunities.
Generous Moments: Make small acts of acknowledgment in important moments to make a big impact.
Give up the Mask: Be emotionally accessible with authenticity and vulnerability.

“Being vulnerable with your staff is intimidating, but when connecting with people not only will you grow as a leader and a person, but your business will grow as well,” explains Davis. Also, “bringing your authentic self to your leadership takes courage and commitment, but you reap profound benefits from heart-led generous acts.”

Throughout this book and essential and practical guide, you will discover unvarnished and unforgettable stories, the author, and CEOs of well-recognized companies reveal about their experiences and mistakes that informed their success.

I agree with Davis, there is a no more powerful leader than a generous leader! A leader who unlocks the best parts of himself/herself to become the best leader possible.

Joe Davis

Today, Davis shares these insights with us:

Question: Of the seven essential elements, which do you find the most difficult for leaders to master and why?

Davis: I think the two toughest are Give Up the Mask and Generous Listening.

First is sharing personal self, being vulnerable and authentic. Why? It is just not how so many of us were trained or raised to be leaders. The “tough guy” in control, in charge, have all the answers person has been glorified for too long.

Also, many of us do not have experience with showing emotions and the power of what happens when we do.

Second is listening to learn. You need to become comfortable knowing you do not know what you do not know and thus always ask questions, probing and exploring what others know that you do not, so you get to a richer answer/insight.

People also do not slow down enough to try to understand where the other is coming from – their lived experience. Why does this happen? It’s because often we think we know it all. Or we are afraid to show we do not know it all or feel we have done all the “work and analysis” and are sure we have the answer. Even worse, we don’t care about another’s experiences.

Question: If a reader can only tackle one or two of the seven essential elements this year as they strive to become a better leader, which one or two do you recommend they tackle and why?

Davis:

If talking about two to tackle, I recommend:

Generous Listening: Listen to learn, ask questions, probe, learn what others know. Doing so provides you with a much richer answer/insight. It makes the other person feel included, empowered, inspired, motivated. Ask questions!

Generous Moments: Take some small actions that will have huge impact. It’s easy to get started and it makes others feel recognized. It shows you care about others. When people feel recognized and appreciated, they will be inspired to be better, do more, perform higher – all benefitting them, the organization, and its mission, and you.

Davis is a Managing Director and Senior Partner at the Boston Consulting Group.

In The Generous Leader, Joe tells a story about a performance review he received as he was just starting his career: He was told he was not the best at problem-solving solo; but in collaboration with others, he could solve any challenge. His manager identified his key strength—Joe was a person who could connect with anyone.

This ability to connect with people became the foundation of a successful career at Boston Consulting Group, spanning 40-plus years.

Finally, here are the 10 guiding actions that Davis practices after he wakes up each morning:

Start the day caring.
Always remember you don’t know what you don’t know.
Find constant opportunities to engage, listen, and hear.
Work hard to hear from, and team with, the broadest possible set of voices.
Engage honestly; be real.
Speak plainly, directly, and honestly in all interactions.
Make decisions decisively, yet with the confidence and humbleness to adjust if wrong.
Make productive use of each moment each day.
Live each day positively, with high energy and a smile that exudes confidence.
Care for yourself, your health, and your well-being (exercise, sleep, eat healthfully).

Thank you to the book's publisher for sending me an advance copy of the book.

Comments

3 Things To Avoid When You Give Your Next Speech

If you don't want to get your speech off to a bad start, the communications experts at Speechworks suggest you: Don't apologize (particularly about your anxiety or lack of preparation. Apologies put your audience on the defensive. Don't start by telling a joke (which may not be all that funny, or is irrelevant, or that may even be offensive to someone in your audience). Don't beat around the bush (including, don't list off a lot of people you want to thank. Don't waste your audience's valuable time) Instead: If you need to deal with your anxiety, practice like crazy . Rehearse particularly your first line over and over. Start your presentation by laying out for your audience a key issue that they are facing in their business . If you must thank someone, do it at the end, or thank your introducer briefly, pause, and then start right into the meat of your message .

High-Performing Teams Are Made Of This

According to Ron Ricci and Carl Wiese, authors of the book, The Collaboration Imperative , high-performing teams have the following characteristics: People have solid and deep trust in each other and in the team's purpose--they feel free to express feelings and ideas. Everybody is working toward the same goals. Team members are clear on how to work together and how to accomplish tasks. Everyone understands both team and individual performance goals and knows what is expected. Team members actively diffuse tension and friction in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. The team engages in extensive discussion, and everyone gets a chance to contribute--even the introverts. Disagreement is viewed as a good thing and conflicts are managed. Criticism is constructive and is oriented toward problem solving and removing obstacles. The team makes decisions when there is natural agreement--in the cases where agreement is elusive, a decision is made by the team lead or executiv...

How To Achieve Human Leadership

Human Leadership: The Courage To Face Ourselves And Each Other is Kristen Hadeed ’s newest book. It’s a raw, personal account of losing herself in service to others and the challenging work of finding her way back. It’s a story of burnout, ambition, resentment, grief, reinvention, profound self-examination, and the courage it takes to share what you discover with the people around you. By learning to face herself, tell the truth, and take ownership of her choices, Hadeed became a more courageous, compassionate leader and built a life and business that would take care of her, too. Hadeed’s journey shows that leadership doesn’t have to mean endless sacrifice or self-abandonment. Human Leadership offers a different path―one where courage, honesty, and humanity become the foundation of meaningful leadership and a meaningful life. Part memoir, part invitation, Hadeed’s story will empower you to: Recognize the values, fears, and limiting beliefs driving your lead...

How To Make One Bold Move A Day

Shanna A. Hocking ’s new book, One Bold Move A Day , is all about meaningful actions women can take to fulfill their leadership and career potential. Specially, Hocking reveals the transformative mindsets needed to make one Bold Move a day. Those are: Gratitude Mindset And Mindset Happiness Mindset Progress Mindset “Each of these four mindsets individually plays a special role in the process of continuously showing up for yourself and others,” explains Hocking. “Each mindset contributes in a different way to your success, but they all complement each other and together they will become the foundation to your Bold Move Mindset.” Hocking explains in her book that a Bold Move is one that challenges you to grow . “Sometimes it’s about capitalizing on an opportunity, and sometimes it’s about creating that opportunity for yourself,” explains Hocking. Keep in mind, too, that a Bold Move for you might not be the same as someone else’s. ...

The Playbook For CEOs To Lead Under Pressure

“Most CEOs spend years mastering strategy, finance, operations, and execution,” says author Andrea Petrone , “Far fewer spend time defining who they are as leaders.” He adds that all too often the leadership style that got a CEO to the top becomes the very thing holding them back. More specifically, after more than two decades coaching CEOs and senior executives at Shell, Unilever, Takeda, EssilorLuxottica, and PwC, Petrone noticed a pattern: sustained pressure was pulling leaders away from who they were. Fortunately, in his latest book, Reinvention at the Top: The Playbook for CEOs to Lead Under Pressure , Petrone introduces the Throughline, an architecture that helps leaders align their identity, message, and presence so they can lead powerfully under pressure. Whether stepping into a new role, navigating a crisis, or reinventing an organization, Throughline offers CEOs a practical roadmap for leading without losing themselves. As you read the book you will discover: ...

5 Compelling Benefits Of Having An Ethical Culture

In Andrew Leigh's book, Ethical Leadership , he provides these compelling and important benefits of having an ethical culture in your business/organization: Customers prefer dealing with companies who put ethics at the center of their culture. Most employees would prefer to earn less working for an ethical company than being paid more and working for an unethical company. More than one in three people at work say they've left a job because they've disagreed with the company's ethical standards ( Trevino, L and Nelson, K - 2011 ) If you adopt an early warning system against misconduct it reduces the risk of you facing expensive litigation. An ethical culture helps you make your company a strong affirming place to work in. "The foundations of an ethical culture include values, attitudes, meaning, behaviors, purpose, and management practices," explains Leigh.

Coherence: The Secret Science Of Brilliant Leadership

Coherence: The Secret Science of Brilliant Leadership is the new book by author Dr. Alan Watkins . Trained as a medical doctor, Watkins is now an honorary senior lecturer in neuroscience and psychological medicine at Imperial College, London and an affiliate professor of leadership at the European School of Management, London. According to Watkins, coherence is the biological state achieved when elite performers experience maximum efficiency and super effectiveness, where body and mind are one . Coherence provides one of the most unique approaches to showing leaders how to be younger, smarter, healthier and happier -- which gives them the power to make decisions under pressure and achieve sustainable success. Prepare to spend quality time reading Coherence . It's not light reading. Kind of feels like a medical text book in parts. But, it's worth your commitment to it. I particularly found useful Watkin's discussion on culture , where he w...

How To Improve The Way Teams Think, Collaborate And Make Decisions Under Pressure

“Great decisions don’t happen by accident—they happen by design,” shares Dr. Ricardo Valerdi , author of the new book, The Five-Tool Team: Bringing Out The Best In People To Make Better Decisions . This book is not about finding perfect answers. It is about building a framework that allows you to make good decisions repeatedly, even when conditions are imperfect, information is incomplete, and outcomes are uncertain. More specifically, Valerdi reveals a practical framework for improving the way individuals and teams think, collaborate, and make decisions under pressure. Drawing on lessons from sports, business, engineering, and real-world experience, Valerdi shows how the most effective leaders build teams that question assumptions, analyze consequences, and make choices grounded in clarity rather than instinct or urgency. “Writing this book has been a phenomenal journey that started in 2018 when I was a visiting professor at the United States Military Ac...

How Will The Value Of Your Days Be Measured?

I recommend that all leaders every so often read the What Will Matter poem by Michael Josephson . It serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of unselfishly serving and leading with character. I've highlighted in bold and in color my favorite parts of the poem: Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brillian...

Decide

Many years ago, I worked with a person who could not make decisions. Neither big nor small decisions. That indecisiveness paralyzed our business in many ways. Unfortunately, the book, Decide: Work Smarter, Reduce Your Stress, and Lead by Example , had not been published. Had it, I would have shared it with my co-worker. Decide , published this past February, teaches readers how to make better decisions based on the real results they want to experience. The author, Steve McClatchy, explains how to use the two forms of human motivation -- Gain, or Prevent Pain , to make more effective decisions. For example, he demonstrates how inserting a Gain task in the middle of a Prevent Pain day can give you the energy you need to move forward and make the Prevent Pain tasks take less time through motivation. Deeper into the book, you'll be reminded about not only the problems with procrastination, but also about the benefits of procrastination, and, if you are ...

Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Search This Blog