Give to others? Why? I have needs too

Real leaders have something to give, and they give it freely. Anthony DeMello saw a starving child shivering in the cold. Angrily he lifted his eyes to heaven and said, "God, how could you allow such suffering? Why don't you do something?" There was a long silence and then DeMello was startled when he heard the voice of God answer him, "I certainly have done something—I made you.

Where Are You Holding Up Your Team? If you are not asking the members of your team how you can serve them, you may be holding them up. To find out, go to each team member individually and ask, "What could I do for you that would make your job easier, make you more successful, and make the team better?" Listen without interrupting to what people have to say, and then try to figure out ways to do what you can to serve them.

Connecting is the ability to identify with people and relate to them in a way that increases your influence with them.

Am I adding value to people?

When you give of yourself, it benefits you, the organization, and the receiver.

To work together, we must have all three. Generosity: giving up resources for the whole. Humility: giving up your own importance, position, and power. Integrity: truthfulness so that others can depend on your character.

Before I discovered that helping myself made me more capable of helping others. That's one of the reasons I tell people that to add value to others, they must make themselves more valuable. You can't give something you don't have. You can't tell what you don't know. You can't share what you don't feel. No one gives out of a vacuum.

As a leader, my goal is to help people, not make them happy.

God always gives back to us when we give to Him. He does not promise to give back in kind... But God always gives back in some way. You cannot out-give God.

The truth is that empowerment is powerful—not only for the person being developed, but also for the mentor. Enlarging others makes you larger. It is an impact you can experience as a leader as long as you are willing to believe in people and give your power away.

If you don't know how to add to others, then you probably subtract by default.