Living a generous life

A Generous life is one where we see all resources as given by God to be put at the disposal of God. This includes our money, gifts, time, abilities, skills, help and whatever is in our library of resources. Generosity allows us to leave a legacy as we share what we have with what others need. 

When we think of generosity we often think of money and financial resources. The truth is that there are many kinds of generosity. It is often said that the most precious thing we have today is our time. In fact, it is often easier to give money rather than to give our time. Yet, it is often our time that people need. In an added irony, giving others our time gives us much greater opportunity to influence others and leave a legacy with them as most influence is life on life. 

Included in a willingness to give our time is a willingness to share areas of expertise that we have. A generous individual is ready and willing to share their expertise because it allows them to contribute something of value to an individual or a cause that we care about. 

In one of the organizations I consult with there is an extraordinary woman whose office is often filled by those who need some encouragement, a listening ear and wise advice. She willingly shares her time and encouragement and is loved because of it. In doing so she is living a generous life. And ironically, what she can give away is needed by many in the organization. Another individual in this organization loves to stop by and pray for you. He has a gift of faith but is also generous with that gift of faith and willingly shares that gift. 

What can you give away? What can you be generous with?  All it takes is a willingness to share what God has given to us.    

Stop following your boss and get in front

Many smart people make a fundamental error in their relationship with their boss whether that be an individual or a board. They wait for direction rather than taking the initiative to set direction themselves. In doing so they give up a great deal of their autonomy because they are no longer controlling their destiny.

OK you say, "but it is our job to follow our authority." Yes, we are accountable to our authority but it is possible and preferable to influence the direction you are going by getting in front of your authority rather than simply responding to it. How do you do this?

First, you get in front of your boss when you learn to anticipate their thinking and direction, take the time to think deeply about where they are going and make your own plans accordingly. In other words, you are proactively moving in the direction they are moving and where possible are a step ahead in your thinking. If you are right, by being ahead of them, you can directly influence their direction.

You get in front of your boss when you proactively address concerns you know they have before they ask you to do so. Not only have you done the hard work to think a step ahead of your boss but you have done the harder work to ensure that you are already addressing needs you know they will address - before they address them. 

How do you obtain the intelligence to know where your boss wants to go? You listen carefully and ask a lot of penetrating questions about their intentions and direction. And you pay attention to what their priorities are and what issues they seem passionate about. Find out what they are being pressed on by their supervisor or board so that you can address issues that they are being pushed to address. 

Ironically, for those who do this, their supervisor, boss or board often end up following them rather than the other way around. You are now setting the pace, or in the least have major influence as to where the direction is going. This is a huge win for healthy staff who desire to have influence in the organization they work for.

Rather than follow, think about leading by getting in front of the issues.  

  

AddingtonConsulting.org