The Importance of Generosity in Growing your Business
by Jill Lublin
Servant leadership is the only leadership that ultimately works. — Dave Ramsey
Generosity of Time
I think the number-one thing people remember about other people is when they have been given more of their time than expected. We all know doctors who make us sit in the waiting room for far too long, but we keep going back because once we are in the examining room, she gives us enough time to feel like we are being cared for. We don’t mind waiting because we trust she will give us the time back, and then some. The same holds true for anyone who works on a retainer.
When I spend a few more minutes on the phone with a client, I hope my clients see that I am invested as much in them as they are in me. I care, and if there are a few minutes unlogged, so what? A manager who will stop what he’s doing and listen to an employee will be remembered for “taking time out”.
No matter how few perks you think you can offer from a business standpoint, remember that you possess the best commodity out there: your time. By being generous with it when you think it matters most, it will pay off. This is not to say you shouldn’t be discerning about who gets your time. We have all been trapped by those moments of unrelenting small talk that dwindles our daily rates.
Time is a motivator for employees as well. If employees don’t feel they are given enough of your time, they will feel resentful. Your reputation depends on your employees because they are the most powerful source of word-of-mouth PR you can ever find, especially in today’s social media culture. No matter how many bad days or good days you give to your employees (and, hey, nobody’s perfect), when you are generous with your time, stopping what you are doing to hear someone out, regardless of whether it is founded, you will be remembered as an upstanding employer. “He didn’t always say or do the right thing, but he was always there for me,” one employee might say.
Generous Credit and Compliments
Giving credit where credit is due is an important aspect of being a great leader. Generously thanking, complimenting, or praising a staff member, vendor, or customer — even for the most mundane thing — shows people you take the time out of your schedule to notice them and to stop what you are doing to acknowledge them. And when you are receiving credit for something you haven’t personally done or conceptualized, be sure to redirect the compliment.
A great leader in business knows how to graciously pass on a compliment to the person who truly deserves it. Good leaders don’t care about taking credit; they just care about doing good work. Blogger Tom Basson poignantly wrote in his post, “Real Leaders Don’t Take Credit”, “Real leaders take the blame and give the credit. Empathy, humility, and kindness are signs of leadership strength — not weakness.
Complimenting others generously has been proven by researchers to work just as well as cash when it comes to helping people perform better. Compliments can increase clients and customers, put them at ease, invite them to give you more feedback, and make them trust you more — all of which are important to running and growing your business. A wild experiment at Purdue University led students Cameron Brown and Brett Westcott to dedicate every Wednesday to offering compliments to other students on campus, saying things like, “Nice shirt,” “You have great curly hair,” and “You deserve to have a great day.
Generous Networks
Have you heard of social capital? It’s all the rage. Finally, more and more people understand that it is not just who we know, but how well we know them that makes the business viable. Social capital is all about networks, where transactions occur through trust, cooperation, and reciprocity. Groups that have formed as a means of gaining social capital do so not only for themselves but for the global good.
What about those LinkedIn groups? Are you taking advantage of the community of like-minded people waiting to hear from you? Can you start your own group for those “water cooler moments” that small business owners aren’t privy to? Ask a question, vent, talk through a conundrum, and get help from experienced people who are more than willing to be your sounding board.
Do you rent or share space with other entrepreneurs or small businesses? It doesn’t matter if your business isn’t necessarily in the same domain, because at the end of the day, we are all solving problems and trying to enhance relationships. So no matter who your neighbor may be — a real estate agent, chiropractor, or commissioned artist — you will find that sharing ideas and networks within your physical space offers connectivity and increases your knowledge about what it takes to run your business. These professional relationships make brain-picking fun and useful. If you want to find people who have their ears to the ground, you don’t have to look outside your own community.
Generosity Marketing
John M. Sweeney is the founder of a social movement called Suspended Coffees. In his article, “Kindness Makes Good Business,” Sweeney describes himself as being, among other things, a kindness coach, saying that making others happy had always been his mission in life. This is why, when it came to his career, he found himself flailing. For two-and-a-half years he was unemployed and felt he had no purpose. Then he read about an old tradition called cafe sospeso or “suspended coffee,” which began in the cafes of Naples, Italy.
A suspended coffee is the advance purchase of a cup of coffee for someone who needs it, no matter why. “But it really is about so much more than the coffee,” the Suspended Coffees homepage says. “It can provide physical comfort, conversation, a smile or even a laugh, and a sense of belonging. A suspended coffee can change lives, sometimes even save them.
Today the Suspended Coffees movement has more than 2,000 cafes promoting the concept across 34 countries. Sweeney’s compulsion and dedication to spreading kindness through business nearly brought him to his knees. Financially and personally Sweeney struggled but stuck with his mission. It is no surprise to discover that his generosity was rewarded.
Jill Lublin — Short Bio — (Pronounced Loob-Lynn)
Jill Lublin is an international speaker on the topics of Publicity, Networking, Kindness, and Referrals. She is the author of 4 Best Selling books including Get Noticed…Get Referrals (McGraw Hill) and co-author of Guerrilla Publicity and Networking Magic. Her latest book, Profit of Kindness went #1 in four categories. Jill is a master strategist on how to position your business for more profitability and more visibility in the marketplace. She is CEO of a strategic consulting firm and has over 25 years of experience working with over 100,000 people plus national and international media. Jill teaches a virtual Publicity Crash Course and consults and speaks all over the world. She has spoken on many stages with luminaries such as Tony Robbins. Jill also leads an intentional kindness community. Visit publicitycrashcourse.com/freegift and jilllublin.com
