Generosity in leadership

I type the question ‘What makes a good leader?’ into Google, and the first thing I see is an AI-assembled list of characteristics that includes humility, integrity, patience, empathy, visionary thinking, etc. Curiously, generosity doesn’t feature. As I continue scrolling, I find a number of websites that list the top 12 characteristics that make a good leader (Center for Creative Leadership), the top 11 characteristics (GOV.UK), the top 17 characteristics (Asana), and even the top 21 characteristics (BetterUp). Not a single one mentions generosity.

Now, I’m sure if I did an exhaustive search I’d find it on some leadership guru’s list somewhere, but assuming Google’s search engine is scouring the internet for the most commonly named leadership characteristics, it’s interesting that generosity just isn’t one of them.

You might think that it’s not at all strange; generosity has perhaps never been a quality that people primarily look for in leaders when there are so many other qualities that need to take precedence. But I would argue that generosity ought to underpin everything a good leader is and does.

Without a spirit of generosity forming the foundation of someone’s leadership, that leader might fail to believe the best about their team or stay flexible and gracious when expectations aren’t being met or plans need to change. An ungenerous leader is less likely to seek the wellbeing of their staff and might neglect to find ways to bless and encourage them. A leader who isn’t operating in generosity wouldn’t necessarily have the wherewithal to share their success with others or be able to hold things lightly. All of these dynamics can negatively affect the motivation and productivity of teams and organisations.

A generous leader, however, will freely share what they have, whether that be time, talent or treasure. They won’t make their success all about themselves but will instead find ways to shine a light on the work of others. Importantly, a generous leader will have a posture of open hands: open hands before the Lord, acknowledging that everything is from Him, and open hands before people, acknowledging that what they have is to be shared for the benefit of others.

Generosity naturally seeks the empowerment of others, and a good leader will always be looking for ways to increase the agency of the people who work for them. Recent examples of Christian business leaders who have handed over the ownership of their companies to their employees include The Wonderful Creative Agency and The Entertainer. This is just one of many ways to model generosity as a core leadership practice, and it’s a great case study in how to exercise good stewardship of one’s power: by handing it over to others for their continued flourishing.

If we look to the kind of leadership Jesus modelled, we see generosity in so many aspects. He was emotionally generous, patiently giving his disciples the benefit of the doubt, even when they were being obtuse. He was hospitably generous, providing food for enormous crowds and making sure a wedding celebration wasn’t ruined for the lack of wine. And he was generous with his time, giving attention to those who sought it even when he was dead tired.

Generosity may not appear on most people’s lists for what makes a good leader, but without generosity, leadership can fail pretty miserably. If we want our leadership to leave a positive and lasting impression after we’re gone, one of the best ways is to exercise generosity in everything we do, from how we look after our teams or staff, to how we celebrate the wins and deal with losses, to how we use our power and steward our authority. People will remember ungenerous leaders for the wrong reasons, but they will remember generous leaders for the right ones.

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Annika Greco Thompson

Growth and Relationships Manager at Stewardship

Link to Stewardship’s podcast: Active Generosity

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