Generosity in Leadership: A Guide to Building Authentic Teams
- Mar 31
- 2 min read
As a human skills expert, I help leaders understand their patterns of behavior so they can get on a new growth trajectory. Recently, I wrote a newsletter about generosity as a leadership trait, and it resonated so much that I knew it needed more airtime.
In a world that often feels transactional and isolated, I believe generosity needs space.
We sometimes fall into the "what's in it for me" model because we have been asked to do so much with so little. However, withholding generosity hurts us more than it helps us. I am offering generosity as a core pillar of authentic leadership, defined simply as giving without expecting anything in return.
The Many Forms of Generosity When we think of generosity, we often think of financial giving, but it goes much deeper. Here are a few ways you can be generous:
Time: Carving out space on your calendar for your team is highly valued.
Assumptions: Be generous in your assumptions until you find out what is actually true.
Acknowledgments: Show your people that you notice their skills and help them feel seen at their core.
Trust: Giving trust from the start builds deep relationships and keeps you out of micromanagement.
Opportunities: Let somebody else lead a meeting or present findings to give them exposure.
Overcoming the Resistance It’s completely normal to feel resistance. You might feel squeezed for time or worry about getting burned by someone. The key is to remember that leadership is the long game. Honor the lessons you learn about specific individuals, but do not mistakenly apply them to a whole population. Also, don’t hesitate about this approach if you don’t see this modeled elsewhere. You are here to be the model for others in a new future of work.
I invite you to bring these concepts to your team meetings and discuss the culture you’re building. If you want to reflect further, ask yourself: How might you want to embed generosity in your leadership approach moving forward?
