Forbes.com

In most folktales, when a young man sets off to rescue the princess and become the king, one of the first tests of his mettle involves generosity.  An old woman asks that he share his meager meal, or a beggar pleads for a coin. The young man’s older brothers have already refused this request, and bad things have invariably happened to them.

Groupon Getting it Right
Borders and the 20-20 Hindsight Phenomenon
What Makes a Leader?
Wise Leaders Guide Through Change
Jetblue and the Human Element

However, the young man marked for greatness shares what he has, and… Voila! The old woman or beggar magically transforms into a wizard who supports the boy on his quest.

The message is clear: true leaders are generous.  Generosity is one of the six attributes people look for most in their leaders.  We want to know that if we allow someone to lead us, he or she will focus on the good of the collective, vs. simply his or her own benefit.  We want to be able to trust that if we give him or her the stewardship of our joint resources, that this person will be open-handed in sharing the wealth.

How does this deeply felt need translate into modern business?  We look for and support leaders who are generous with time, knowledge, power, praise, and credit.  We want leaders who recognize that generosity is an investment that pays great dividends: that people respond to generous leaders with loyalty, trust and their best work.  We assume that a leader who shares the wealth of the enterprise understands that success depends on the efforts of many – it communicates to us that the leader knows we’re important.  And we assume that a leader who gives of him or herself personally is personally committed to our wellbeing and success.

One of the most generous leaders I know is Danny Meyer, of Union Square Hospitality Group fame.  Danny and his organization have been clients of ours for almost 20 years; the success of USHG is a testament to the power of his unfailing generosity.  In fact, the first tenet of “Enlightened Hospitality,” the value system at the core of all Danny’s restaurants, is “take care of each other.”  The other four are “take care of the guest, take care of the vendor, take care of the community, and take care of the shareholder.”  All based on generosity, starting with generosity toward the employee.

Generosity in a leader is more important then ever in difficult times.  Even when you may not be able to be generous with money, you can still give time, learning, support, praise, responsibility, inclusion and honesty.  When a leader stays open-hearted and open-handed during tough times, it sends a powerful message of hope and continuity.