The 21 Laws of Leadership: How to Develop the Qualities of a Leader

Chapter 11 Generosity: A Candle That Shines to Others and Shines to Yourself

Generosity
No one gets credit for what he gets - honor is a reward for what he has done.

— Calvin Coolidge, President of the United States
Giving is the highest way of life.

—John C. Maxwell

generosity from the heart

When it comes to generous people, who is the first person that pops into your mind?Is it Andrew Carnegie, JP Morgan, past millionaires, great philanthropists like Andrew Mellon, or contemporary philanthropists like Joan Crow Joan Kroc or Bill Gates?All of these people have donated millions of dollars.But here I want to introduce you to another philanthropist.You may never have heard of her, but the philanthropy she does is the deepest kind of philanthropy, true philanthropy that comes from the heart.

Her name was Elisabeth Elliot. In the early 20s, she traveled to Ecuador with a team of missionaries, hoping to contact the local Indians.Among the missionaries was a young man named Jim who began dating Elizabeth in 50.Together, they dedicated their youth to the Indians of Ecuador, and they eventually committed themselves to each other and were married.

Two years later, they had a ten-month-old daughter, Valerie.At that time, Jim and four other missionaries were in contact with Indian tribes in the Oka area.The Indians here are known for their brutality, and the earliest recorded contact with them is in the early 17th century, when they killed a missionary.Every outsider has been attacked by them since.Even other Indians in Ecuador stayed away from them for fear of their brutality.

When Jim and others were preparing to contact these Indians, Elizabeth knew that the five of them would risk their lives, but her attitude was as firm, and both she and her husband gave their lives to this operation.For several weeks, missionaries have used planes to drop daily necessities and other things as gifts, including their photos, to the villages of Oka. This is the first contact between Jim and others with the local Indians.

A few weeks later, Jim and others landed on the beach of the Curare River, camped on the bank, and made contact with three Oka locals.Two women and one man—the three Orcas seemed to be quite friendly.In the next few days, they came into contact with several other Indians one after another.Jim radioed to tell his wife that they had made significant progress and were establishing friendly relations with the local tribe.

But a few days later, Jim and others failed to get in touch with the base camp at the agreed time.Their wives waited for a long time, but still failed to contact them.Minutes, hours, or even a whole day, there is still no news from Jim and others.Elizabeth and several other missionary wives felt that something was wrong.

The search and rescue team set out to find the whereabouts of these missionaries, but the news came back by radio.They found a white man's body in the river, and another after another.The fate of all five people was the same: they were stabbed to death by the unique spear of the Orka people.

According to common sense, under such great pain, Elizabeth should choose to give up missionary work and return to a safe land like many people.It was one thing to give up the comforts of life in the United States to help the natives in the wilds of Ecuador, but quite another to sacrifice a spouse and break up a family.But Elliott had a truly generous heart.Although she has just suffered the loss of her husband, she is looking forward to staying on and serving the Ecuadorian population.Although relatives and friends persuaded her to return to the United States, she still chose to stay in Ecuador, live and work with the local indigenous people, and serve them.

What happened next was even more incredible.Other missionaries continued to travel deeper into the Oka region, making contact with local indigenous villages.After two years, they finally succeeded.Elizabeth rushed to the village after hearing the news.Is she going to find an enemy?No, she wants to live and work with the locals and serve them.Elizabeth and Oka have been working with the local aboriginals for two years. Many aboriginals were deeply moved by her love, including two aboriginals who were involved in the murder of her husband.

develop generosity in yourself

Nothing speaks louder than the generosity of a leader, and it benefits people more.True generosity does not happen by accident.It comes from the heart and permeates every aspect of a leader's life, such as his generosity in terms of time, money, talents and resources.Effective leaders can make people willing to follow. What they strive for is not just for themselves, but what they do is to benefit more people.Here are a few ways to start cultivating generosity in your life.

1. Be grateful for what you have
It is difficult to be generous if one is not satisfied with what one has.Generosity comes from being content and not expecting things to return.Billionaire John D. Rockefeller confessed: "I have almost unlimited wealth, but it doesn't bring me happiness." If you are not satisfied with what you have, then no matter how much you have Will not be content.Likewise, if you're not generous enough with the wealth you have, you won't suddenly be generous even if you become a billionaire someday.

2. Put others first

A leader is judged not by how many people work for him, but by how many people he serves.Generosity requires putting others first.Giving becomes easy when you do this.

3. Don’t let possessiveness control you

My friend Earle Wilson divides people into three categories: "I have it, I don't have it, and I have it and I don't pay for it." Today, more and more people are enslaved by possessiveness.Author Richard Foster wrote: "Possessiveness is a curse in our culture. Once we own something, we feel we can control it. Once we can control it, we feel it It can bring us a lot of happiness. This idea is actually an illusion." If you want to truly master your heart, don't let these substances possess you.

4. Treat money as a resource

Someone once said that when it comes to money, no one can be a winner.If you want to make money, you are a materialist; if you want to make money but don't make it, you are a loser; if you make a lot of money and don't spend it, you are a miser; If you make a lot of money and spend it all, then you are a prodigal; if you don’t care whether you make money or not, then you have no ambition; You are a fool - because money is something that you don't bring with you when you die.

The only way to win in this matter is to take it lightly and be generous enough to use it to accomplish something of real worth.E. Stanley Jones said: "Money is a good servant, but a bad master. Let it get high and you will be its slave."

5. Get in the habit of giving

In 1889, billionaire Andrew Carnegie wrote an essay called "The Gospel of Wealth."The article says that the life of a rich person has two stages: the first stage is to acquire wealth, and the second stage is to disperse wealth.The only way to sustain your generosity is to develop the habit of giving, including your time, attention, money, and resources.Richard Foster advises: "Just donating money or other property means a lot to us, because it can defeat the demon of greed." If you are a slave to greed, you are not fit to continue Take the lead.

Self-reflection: Do you understand the meaning of giving
Are you a generous leader?Are you constantly looking for ways to benefit others?Do you give money to something bigger than yourself?Who do you spend your time with?Do you devote your life to other people?Do you help those who are unable to repay you?
Author John Bunyan once said, "If you don't do something for those who can't give you back, then your day is gone." If you can't give in small things, then you as a leader The level of generosity needs to be improved.

Your Prescription to Be Generous

Here are a few things you need to do if you want to learn to be a more generous person.

1. Donate something
Take a look at how possessive you are about material things, you can find something that you really think is valuable, think about someone you care about who needs it, and you give it to him.Of course, giving anonymously is even better.

2. Put your money to work
If you know someone with great goals who can make a positive impact on others, provide them with resources to accomplish those positive effects.Use your money to contribute to something longer than your life.

3. Find people and give them guidance

If you have reached a certain level of leadership, the most valuable thing you can give is yourself.Seek out those people you are worth dedicating your life to, and spend your time and resources on them so they can be better leaders.

What is not donated is considered a waste

When the famous French writer Dominique Lapierre (Dominique Lapierre) went to India for the first time to conduct research for his new book, he drove a Rolls Royce bought with the manuscript fee, which was very beautiful.When he arrived in India, he not only gathered the material he needed for his new book, "City of Joy," but also found something unexpected: a passion for helping India's poor.This passion changed his life.Now LaPierre divides his time among several things: writing, fundraising, and donating his time and money to help people.His attitude can be summed up in the words of the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, which is now printed on the back of LaPierre's business cards: "What is not given is considered wasted."

What are you wasting right now that you don't want to let go of?

(End of this chapter)