As leadership developers we spend a great deal of time thinking about how to develop leadership. Whether it is EIL or any other model, the development of leadership is in some ways the great mystery. After all, scholars and practitioners alike have puzzled about how to evaluate the development of leadership for years. This has lead to varied degrees of success.

We have developed a very simple yet powerful tool to develop leadership that we call:

1. Know
2. See
3. Plan
4. Do

Think about any expert for a moment. This expertise could lie in the arts, education, medicine, athletics or engineering. Regardless of the expertise, an individual has moved through a systematic developmental process to develop his or her knowledge, skills and abilities. For the sake of discussion let’s focus on the field of medicine. All of us assume that when we go to the doctor, he or she has a great deal of expertise in the study and practice of medicine (know). Likewise, we hope that they can use this knowledge to effectively diagnose (see) our ailment. In addition, we hope that he or she can scenario plan and identify options to intervene and help us (plan). Finally, when applicable, we hope he or she can perform the intervention if needed (do). If you think about it, world-class chefs, excellent teachers, and professional athletes move through the same progression.

We suggest that leadership is no different. In addition to functional expertise, a leader must have knowledge about effective leadership. Otherwise, he or she is simply working from defaults and likely not making skillful interventions. In addition, we hope that the leader can use this knowledge to diagnose a situation, plan options and intervene to achieve the desired result.

So how do we effectively develop leaders? In many ways there is a similar process. We need to ensure that there is knowledge about effective leadership. This is one level. Another level is that individuals can see the concepts and inform their understanding of a situation based on their knowledge. This needs to happen in “real time” – often in minutes and seconds.  Developing leadership also means that a person can plan, meaning that the individual can use his or her knowledge to diagnose (see) and then plan an appropriate intervention.  Finally, and significantly, the most difficult level of leadership learning is do. Mastery over our own behavior is a difficult and time-consuming process.  Leadership is seen by others in what a person does.  For instance, an individual who naturally avoids conflict will need to practice other approaches to managing conflict with intentionality. He or she will have to move through the process outlined above in order to increase his or her effectiveness in a conflict situation, which is an inherent skill of leadership.

The process just described includes many ingredients.  For some, deep knowledge and awareness are essential supports to the required or needed set of skills or competencies to develop.  Additional components that enhance this process of leader development are coaching and feedback from experts; opportunities to practice; reflection; and competition or developmental opportunities that leads to more practice.

We know from CASEL (www.casel.org), that “schools that create socially and emotionally sound learning and working environments, and that help students and staff develop greater social and emotional competence.” When this happens, student achievement increases and teachers and staff are more satisfied with their work.   EIL provides educators and staff with a plethora of learning handles through which social and emotional competence as well as the 21^st century competencies (http://www.moe.gov.sg) can be taught and developed.  For example, the table below highlights a number of similarities and common themes across the 3 models (EIL Capacity, 21^st Century, SEL).

While the alignment of EIL with the 21^st century competencies is clear, the process of teaching and developing these skills in others is not so easy to do.  Utilizing the model of know, see, plan, do, educators can help students enhance their EIL, social and emotional literacy as well as the 21^st century competencies.  Both in and out of the classroom, instruction of EIL will help students increase what they know about themselves and others, which will help them become more confident and concerned as citizens.  EIL will give students a particular “lens” through which they can see what is going on both within themselves and around them.  This diagnostic ability will help students demonstrate, among other things, critical thinking and global awareness.  When students (and educators) plan, they increase their effectiveness with others, are more self-directed, and demonstrate more responsible decision-making.  Finally, when students do what they think is best for the given situation, they are active contributors who communicate and engage with others in constructive ways.

Because leadership development often occurs in a classroom, after school once a week, or even during a weekend seminar or retreat, it is difficult to intentionally design a program that consistently challenges students to “do” leadership. Even more difficult is creating an environment where they have the opportunity to practice the right skills. As a result, regardless of the model, it is difficult to truly turn knowledge into action. After all, common sense does not equal common practice.

As leadership educators, each of us should not only share cutting-edge models of effective leadership, but employ cutting edge approaches to leadership development.  Herein lies the opportunity for us all.

Interested to find out more about EIL? Click here to find out more about our EIL Conference 2011!

Marcy Levy Shankman, PhD

Scott J. Allen, PhD

Over the last twenty years of working with young people, we have seen students, and those working with students, wonder how to make sense of what leadership means and how to improve one’s leadership style.  Our model of emotionally intelligent leadership (EIL) provides a set of learnable and teachable capacities under the rubric of three facets: consciousness of context, consciousness of self, and consciousness of others.  These three facets are “containers” for understanding a first step of effective leadership – awareness.  Awareness is essential in effective leadership because it leads to intentionality.  Intentionality means that one acts with purpose and focus, which is a key activity for leaders who want to intervene skillfully.

Developed through the methodology of integrative scholarship, EIL entails the intentional awareness and regulation of emotions in oneself and the understanding of others and the context in the effort to accomplish a group’s goal.  This is where we see the facets come to life.  EIL assumes that effective leadership is a relational process (Komives, Lucas & McMahon, 2007) and thus, a core awareness and regulation of the emotions in self/others is a foundational tenet of emotional intelligence and effective leadership (Goleman, 2000).  Because of its roots and evolution, practitioners and leadership educators have found many points of intersection between EIL and the major theories and models of leadership, like transformational leadership, situational leadership, and the five practices of leadership.

Consciousness of context involves awareness of the larger environment in which leadership occurs and is a combination of the setting and situation. Often overlooked in models of leadership, EIL elevates the importance of context because of the role that it plays in increasing our intentionality – when we understand what is happening in the world around us, and how those factors impact individuals and group dynamics, then we become more effective leaders.   As with all the other facets, it’s imperative for the emotionally intelligent leader to act on this awareness. To that end, two capacities capture the behavioral dimensions of consciousness of context – environmental awareness and group savvy.

Consciousness of self consists of the “inner work” required of leaders.  This level of awareness implies that the emotionally intelligent leader engages in reflection, introspection, and demonstration of self-oriented capacities.  In a general sense, consciousness of self represents and involves awareness of one’s abilities, limitations, and emotions.   Specific EIL capacities housed in this facet are: emotional self-perception, honest self-understanding, healthy self-esteem, emotional self-control, authenticity, flexibility, achievement, optimism, and initiative.  Taken together, these capacities emphasize the individual’s role in the leadership process.

EIL assumes a relational process; therefore, the third facet captures the interpersonal dynamics of leadership.  Consciousness of others involves awareness of others and managing relationships, emphasizing the important role that group members/followers have in the leadership process (e.g., Burns, 1978; Bennis, 2000). Likewise, the model assumes that followers (others) are an active part of the process (Chaleff, 2003) and due to the fluid nature of leadership, individuals may switch between leadership and followership in a moment’s notice (Kelley, 1988).   Effective leaders in any organization or sector of society ensure that their message resonates with the interests and desires of others (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002).

An emotionally intelligent leader’s ability to monitor all three facets with intentionality will aid in his or her ability to lead effectively.  EIL does not presume a fixed formula for which the facets, and capacities, must be demonstrated; that would minimize the complexities and realities of leadership and of us as human beings.  EIL also suggests that it is not effective or advisable to demonstrate any one of these facets, or capacities, to excess.

The bottom line of EIL is that leadership requires intentional awareness.  Emotionally intelligent leadership is about diagnosing what is happening and determining the right intervention.  This is difficult because managing the facets and capacities is a balancing act. The best leaders realize this, and they intentionally adjust their approaches based on their self-assessment, a consideration of the needs of others, and an assessment of the context. Leadership development is a long-term endeavor — a journey that all of us must consistently work on if we want to develop and grow. And as with any knowledge, skill, or ability, each of us must reflect on our successes and failures, observe others whom are admired and respected, and engage in trusting relationships with people who will provide open and honest feedback. Finally, and perhaps most important, to demonstrate emotionally intelligent leadership one must transfer this knowledge into action.

Marcy Levy Shankman, Ph.D. has been training and consulting in leadership development and organizational effectiveness with higher education institutions, non-profit organizations, and high schools since 1998.  Marcy applies her unique insights and capabilities to deliver meaningful and lasting impact for individuals and organizations interested in improving their effectiveness.  In her consulting practice, she specializes in facilitating strategic planning and visioning initiatives as well as designing and delivering leadership development experiences.  Clients often request specialized trainings, workshops, and presentations related to leadership, primarily emotional intelligence and change management.

Marcy is the co-author of Emotionally Intelligent Leadership: A Guide for College Students (Jossey Bass) and the corresponding suite of resources (Inventory, Workbook , Development Guide, and Facilitation and Activity Guide).  She has written for peer reviewed journals in the field of leadership education as well as various magazines and periodicals on the subject of emotionally intelligent leadership.

For the past five years, Marcy has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at Case Western Reserve University, Baldwin-Wallace College, and this spring Cleveland State University.  Marcy works directly with the next generation of business leaders as a part-time leadership coach for MBA students at John Carroll University.   Prior to establishing her training and consulting practice, Marcy held professional positions with Indiana University, the Hillel Foundation, and the University of Iowa.

In addition to a Bachelor of Arts from the College of William and Mary and a Master of Arts from the University of Maryland at College Park, Marcy earned her Ph.D. from Indiana University in higher education administration in 2001.  An active volunteer, Marcy volunteers in the community for the United Way, the local schools, and her synagogue.

Dr. Shankman lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio with her husband Brett and two children,  Rebecca and Joshua.

Scott J. Allen, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of management at John Carroll University where he teaches courses in leadership and management skills. In 2008, Scott was voted the favorite teacher in the Boler School of Business. He also served as a Presidential Fellow at Case Western Reserve University where he taught Leadership in Modern Society. Scott is a graduate of The Art and Practice of Leadership Development, an executive education program of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

He is published in the Encyclopedia of Leadership and co-authored A Charge Nurse’s Guide: Navigating the Path of Leadership, a leadership book for health care professionals. Scott is also the co-author of Emotionally Intelligent Leadership: A Guide for College Students (Jossey-Bass) and the corresponding suite of resources (Inventory, Workbook, and Facilitation and Activity Guide). In addition, Scott has articles published in the Journal of Leadership Educators Journal of Leadership Studies, Advances in Developing Human Resources, Leadership Review, The International Leadership Journal, The OD Journal, SAM Advanced Management Journal, Leadership Excellence. He recently completed a book chapter for the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong entitled A Review on Leadership Education and Development Outside China and is a contributing author to the book Leadership: The Key Concepts. In addition, Scott is a part of the blogging team at Weekly Leader.

In addition to writing and speaking, Scott consults, facilitates workshops, and leads retreats across industries. Scott is involved with LeaderShape, the International Leadership Association and serves on the board of trustees of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. Since 2007, he has served as a Sam Walton Fellow for Student’s in Free Enterprise (SIFE).

He resides in Chagrin Falls, Ohio with his wife, Jessica, and three children – Will, Kate & Emily.

In a recent conversation that we had with our students, one of them said, “Today was one of those days where I just wish I could have taken back what I said because once those words came out of my mouth, trouble began.”  This student realized, that had she paused before she spoke, she would have prevented a challenging, interpersonal conflict from happening.  What a great example of why we advocate for people to learn about, and subsequently develop, their emotional intelligence.

The term emotional intelligence (EI) was first introduced by two American college professors, Peter Salovey and John Mayer in 1990. Their original definition of EI was “a form of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and action” (Salovey & Mayer, 1990, p. 189).  In 1995, Daniel Goleman published Emotional Intelligence, which brought the concept into mainstream American society.  Over the last 15 years, business and industry as well as schools and non-governmental organizations have adopted EI as a model or approach for professional development, leadership development, and holistic education for their employees, students, faculty, and staff.

EI is a part of all of us.  We all have different levels and we express it in different ways.  From the time we begin to socialize with others, we are developing and demonstrating our EI.  EI plays an essential role in our lives – it helps us understand our emotions and how our emotions impact our thoughts, decisions, and behaviors.  When we’re not aware of this link, behaviors just happen (like the outburst mentioned above).  Once you become aware of how you react to an event or someone who pushes your buttons, you can intentionally choose your response.  And this is one reason why we see such a powerful connection between EI and leadership – in fact research shows that individuals with high levels of EI are often more effective as leaders (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002).

While there are four main schools of thought about what EI is, most scholars agree that EI is critical for understanding and developing because they have found that cognitive intelligence (IQ) alone does not lead to success (or effectiveness).  Hunter and Hunter (1984) concluded that intelligence accounts for around 25% of the variance in high performing employees, while others reported similar results, thus promoting the idea that EI has significant impact on leadership, human performance, effectiveness, or success (Goleman, et al., 2002; Singh, 2006; Sternberg, 1996).  Other research suggests that a person who demonstrates high levels of emotional intelligence will have a better perception of their emotions, knows how to use them in their thinking and decision-making, and better manages their emotions (Goleman, et al., 2002).

Like others, we have wrestled with how to develop leadership capacity in others.  Emotional intelligence gives us a strong foundation for both teaching and learning about leadership.  EI supports and helps explain how leadership is a relationship between the leader, followers, and the context.  As the context changes, so do the ingredients for successful leadership. For instance, think about a teacher who has been wildly successful at one school, but struggles at another school.  Likewise, we all know of students who respond incredibly well to one teacher and one hour later, that same student is in trouble with a different teacher.   Leaders and followers must be aware of their own skills, abilities and aspirations as well as those of the people they work with. This can mean the difference between success and failure.

Effective leaders in any organization or sector of society ensure that their message resonates with the interests and desires of others (Goleman, et al., 2002).  This ability to influence and inspire is directly linked with emotional intelligence.  A person’s ability to monitor and regulate their own emotions, develop healthy relationships with others, and be intentional in their behavior supports effective leadership.  There is certainly no fixed formula for leadership, nor is emotional intelligence the only foundation from which a leader works; either assertion minimizes the complexities and realities of leadership and of us as human beings. However, EI is a powerful foundation for effective leadership.   In our work with students, teachers, administrators, and executives, we have found that when paired together, EI and leadership are essential for developing leadership in ourselves and others.

References

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2002). Primal leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Hunter. J. E., & Hunter, R. F. (1984). Validity and utility of alternative predictors of job performance. Psychological Bulletin, 760, 12-93.

Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, cognition, and personality, 9(3), 185–211.

Whist traditional approaches to leadership development provide a variety of benefits, they do have some limitations:

• While participants receive many good ideas from training programmes, many do not obtain the follow-up support to transfer that learning into their real life situations.
• In many cases, there is either minimal or no system of accountability to ensure that the leader’s leadership goals are identified and a personalized leadership development plan is in place
• Real root leadership issues may not be able to be adequately discussed and dealt with (Gorham et al., 2008)

To address some of these limitations, schools can integrate coaching as part of the overall student leadership development. Leadership coaching is a highly customized learning process that empowers an individual to align their purpose, plan and actions. Research has shown that there is a direct correlation between coaching and excellent leadership skills and leadership effectiveness (Bradly, et al., 2006; Compasspoint, 2003)

Coaching with The Leadership Challenge® for Educators

With this mind, Lifeskills Enrichment has designed a programme for educators to enhance their leadership development using the well-researched framework and tools from The Leadership Challenge® by bestselling authors Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner. Approaching leadership as a measurable, learnable and teachable set of behaviours, this proven leadership model proclaims Leadership Is Everyone’s Business. This 2-day training incorporates the Coaching for Real Change framework which enables educators to integrate both the leadership and coaching framework. The tying together of these two competencies will bring about practical and personalised solutions for attaining the desired outcomes and in seeing lasting change both in themselves as well as others.

Learning Outcomes

References:
Bradley, N, & MacGregor, B, & Buckley, M, & Ryan-McNee, S, & McCoubrey, S. (May 2006) Coaching Educational Leaders. BC Educational Leadership Research

Compasspoint. (Sept. 2003) Executive Coaching Project: Evaluation of Findings:
http://www.compasspoint.org/assets/2_cpcoachingexecsumm.pdf

Gorham, M., Finn-Stevenson, M., & Lapin, Beth. (2008). Enriching School Leadership Development through Coaching: Research and Practice Issue Brief. The School of the 21^st Century, Yale University.

The programme is designed to help students succeed both in and out of the classroom. It is easy to get lost in the struggle with the ups and downs and important choices that they have to make every day. From getting along with parents to making friends, from getting good grades to dealing with peer pressure…this programme based on the award winning book by Sean Covey and the No. 1 best-selling business book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey brings across the timeless principles of the 7 Habits to youths to deal with tough issues and life changing decisions they face. It teaches the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Youths in a fun and practical way where youths are able to apply this principles directly to their lives.

Characteristics of Happy, Successful Teens

To help students deal with real life, they will be equipped with a set of tools – the 7 characteristics that happy youths all over the world have in common. Habits 1, 2, and 3 deal with self-mastery, called the “private victory.” Habits 4, 5, and 6 deal with relationships and teamwork, or the “public victory.” The last habit, Habit 7, is the habit of renewal. It feeds all the other six habits.

Habit 1: Be Proactive
Take responsibility for your life

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Define your mission and goals in life

Habit 3: Put First things First
Prioritize and do the most important things first

Habit 4: Think Win-Win
Have an everyone-can-win attitude

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
Listen to people sincerely

Habit 6: Synergize
Work together to achieve more

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
Revamp yourself regularly

Learning Outcomes of the Training

The training provides students with a step-by-step framework for boosting self-image, building friendships, resisting peer pressure, achieving goals, improving communication and relationships with parents, and much more. The habits build upon each other and foster behavioural change and improvement from the inside out.

Certification Programme

Educators who wish to facilitate The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens can attend a certification workshop hosted by the school. This is an easy, fast and affordable way to implement the 7 Habits in the school.

For more information about The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens (The Choice is Yours)
training workshops for your students and student leaders, and certification, please call Lifeskills Enrichment at 6346 1455 or visit us here!

To sort that one out, I’d suggest that we all ask ourselves the following questions:

1.         What is MY definition of success? (YOUR definition of success, not someone else’s).

2.         What is REALLY important to me? What DO I REALLY want?

3.         How do I get what I really want?

4.         What am I willing to commit to in order to get what I really want?

5.         How will I know when I have gotten what I really want?

I think that too many people are still grasping for the wind chasing what they think success really is. Most people, knowingly or unknowingly, chase after money, because money seems to be the means through which they can get what they think they want. And so they spend endless hours at the workplace, trying to figure out how to put in more to get more, or perhaps how to put in less but get more, and the answer keeps eluding them. Desperate, they attend “business opportunity presentations” to discover that only a few actually succeed in “working” a four-hour week while earning a five or six-figure income. Even those who “succeed” soon find that money is not the key to getting what they really want. Money will get you many things, to be sure, but if those things are not what you really want, you will start searching for something else. For many people, the search still goes on. I think that knowing and realizing what success really means to us is fundamental to achieving a good “work-life balance”. For most people, this would be related to whether they have lived, and are living, a life of significance. This is perhaps embodied by such questions as “How will people remember me?”, “How many lives have I changed for the better?” and “Are my children raising my grandchildren to be positive, productive and significant persons?”

I think I’m someone who has been blessed with the ability to have this “work-life balance” in my “working life”. Part of it has been due to the fact that I’ve mostly, not always, but mostly, loved what I worked as. When we are doing what we love, time loses meaning. Does that mean we spend our whole lives at work and neglect other areas of life? What do you think? I used to be able to drive home on the odd occasion for lunch, then drive back to the office. I have eaten, and still eat, as many meals as I can with my family, and I have come to appreciate my daughters’ home-cooked food far better than most food available elsewhere. I try to involve my family in my work as much as possible, usually by sharing and talking about what I have been doing, the people I meet, interact with and those that I impact. We try to do things together, like taking walks, going cycling, etc. There are really many ways of allocating time for meaningful pursuits if we but put our minds to it.

What if you’re someone who is trapped in a job that brings you the needed income but which you don’t really like? What do you do then? Well, switching jobs to doing something you really love isn’t always an immediate possibility for many people. So, you could perhaps do some of these things:

• Find an aspect of your job that you really like and work on it. Really polish up that aspect of your job.
• See how you can help co-workers become better at what they do.
• Challenge yourself to “put your nose to the grindstone”, finish up the work that you don’t like very well and in double-quick time. That gives you spare time to do things that you actually do like.
• Finish up your normal work efficiently and effectively, then suggest projects that involve doing what you really like to your Boss.
• Look at you work as a PART of your whole life, not separate from it. Look at work as something you BECOME by it, not so much what you GAIN from it.

If you can determine within yourself to do those things, I dare say you’ll find yourself becoming much happier at your workplace, which translates to being more productive, which translates to higher pay, and so on.

So, “work-life balance”? It is a matter of prioritization and having the determination to follow through on your decisions once made. Who says you can’t have it all? Quite a few of us do! Decide to join us today!

I hope you have found this post useful for you. Give me your feedback, comments, or start a discussion!

Each of us must pause frequently to remind ourselves that the clock is ticking. The same clock that began to tick from the moment we drew our first breath will also someday cease.

Time is the great equalizer of all mankind. It has taken away the best and the worst of us without regard for either. Time offers opportunity but demands a sense of urgency.

When the game of life is finally over, there is no second chance to correct our errors. The clock that is ticking away the moments of our lives does not care about winners and losers. It does not care about who succeeds or who fails. It does not care about excuses, fairness or equality. The only essential issue is how we played the game.

Regardless of a person’s current age, there is a sense of urgency that should drive them into action now—this very moment. We should be constantly aware of the value of each and every moment of our lives—moments that seem so insignificant that their loss often goes unnoticed.

We still have all the time we need. We still have lots of chances, lots of opportunities, lots of years to show what we can do. For most of us, there will be a tomorrow, a next week, a next month, and a next year. But unless we develop a sense of urgency, those brief windows of time will be sadly wasted, as were the weeks and months and years before them. There isn’t an endless supply!

So, as you think of your dreams and goals of your future tomorrow, begin today to take those very important first steps to making them all come to life.

This article was excerpted from Jim Rohn’s The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle.

Over the last few years, I’ve heard different people expressing their views on whether we should maintain “good dress sense” even if we’re going to the wet market, for example, and whether we should be able to “dress down” as and when we please.

Those who say that we should maintain “good dress sense” would like to be as presentable as possible at all times. This comes from an inner desire to honour others by presenting a good outward appearance, since that is what people are going to see when they meet us, whether by design or by happenstance. It is also an exercise in discretion by avoiding what might be unsightly to those around us.

Those who say that we should be able to dress, or undress, as we please, are adamant that we should “be real” and not have any pretensions that we are “prim and proper” every moment of our lives. They feel that we should have the liberty to dress as we like, particularly when we are not at work with colleagues or having to engage with clients. Besides, if we go to the wet market dressed like a “Towkay” or a “Lau Ban”, meaning “Boss”, which implies someone of means, then we might be more susceptible to being charged higher prices for the same goods, for example.

I take the view that the outward is always a manifestation of the inward. This has much more to do with who I am rather than with whether I wear Prada, Tag Heuer or carry a Louis Vuitton bag. It has to do with whether I am neat and orderly in my ten-year-old shirt and pants, or shorts, for that matter, and whether my six-year-old sandals are clean and still look decent after umpteen visits to the cobbler. That is not to say that we can’t look good in tailored outfits, we certainly can and should, but we’ve all seen characters dressed ever so spiffily, only to give us the creeps when we meet them. On the other hand, I remember very fondly one of my former bosses who used to dress down whenever he went to a hawker centre, but who could never have been mistaken for a bum on the street simply because of his commanding presence. All anyone had to do was to look into his eyes and realize that they were in the presence of a significant human being, one who truly cared for those around him and always did his best to encourage them towards a higher plane of being.

So, if you’ve ever pondered the question of dressing up or down, I would encourage you to consider:

1.  Does my appearance as evidenced by my dressing really reflect the way I am on the inside? If the answer is no, what am I willing to change so that it does?

2.  Would my dressing be offensive to others? If so, is that what I really want to do?

3.  Would my outward appearance distract others from being able to read the real message of my life? If so, how would I want others to read the real message of my life?

It’s all about caring for others by putting ourselves in the eye of the beholder. Have a great life!

What IS generosity, anyway? Character Training Institute (CTI) defines it as “Carefully managing my resources so I can give to those in need”. Of course, that doesn’t preclude giving to others despite our own needs, and I think you’ll agree that it’s a lot better giving to those in need when we actually have an abundance of what we are going to give. Now, in order to have enough so that we can give to others who are in need, we have to cultivate the character quality of Thriftiness, which is, as CTI puts it, “Allowing myself and others to spend only what is necessary.” Being a Giver, then, is not only engaging in the act of giving or even engaging in “Random acts of kindness”. It is having a genuine spirit of generosity. It is a lifestyle, a worldview that truly seeks to make a positive difference in people’s lives especially by being generous as we journey towards significance. This is the same spirit that is being encouraged in a business networking organization that I am with, Business Networks International (BNI), whose members adopt the philosophy of “Givers Gain”.

Here are a few steps that, to me, will help us walk in the Way of the Giver:

1. Living a Life of Significance. (Worldview).

2. Managing our resources well (Thriftiness).

3. Preserving our resources.

4. Multiplying our resources.

5. Living by the “Giver’s Gain” philosophy. (Generosity).

Have a joyously generous life!