Rule Number 7: Be Generous
Tuesday, February 7 2006Dear friends,
we've arrived at the final rule of The 7 Rules of Success. Be Generous is probably the least obvious rule of all, but a healthy streak of generosity was a part of every successful individual I spoke to for the book.
This rule may not have been a feature in success guides of old - I think it's a feature of our more affluent, enlightened age. As consumers we care about where our goods come from and are more likely to support businesses with a clear ethical and environmental stance and who don't abuse human rights in third world sweatshops. The fair trade movement is booming and businesses who ignore their customer's concerns do so at their peril.
On a personal level, we know that money alone doesn't buy happiness. Surveys tell us that after a certain level of income and comfort, more goods and "stuff" won't make us feel any happier. Greater fulfilment and a deeper satisfaction comes from living generously, with a sense of purpose and contribution.
Of course, the wrong sort of generosity can suppress another person's incentive, removing any urgency to take personal responsibility. I deal with all of this in detail in this chapter and the individuals I've included all powerfully demonstrate the power of living generously. Here you'll find:
- Adam Balon, co-founder of Innocent Drinks, a young company enjoying meteoric success, on their way to dominating the competitive smoothie market. The company's generosity shows up in the treatment of their staff, the quality and quantity of ingredients for the drinks and a percentage of their profits goes into sustaining the Brazilian rainforest. That's generosity!
- Chris Sade, board director of the Soho House group, whose first job in the company was washing dishes at 16, newly arrived in London with barely a word of English. His generous, can-do attitude marked him out from the jobsworths and he rose through the company to become President of the US arm of the business at 29. That's generosity!
- Pamela Morgan, former Northern Ireland Businesswoman of the Year, made a huge financial success of her family business, went on to set up an award-winning car repair training centre, Blackwater House, for young people to learn skills that would give them employment and the means to set up their own businesses. No amount of profit beats the buzz of helping set up these teenagers for life. That's generosity!
- John Bird, founder of The Big Issue, and homeless himself at one time, believes in "constructive generosity," eg with The Big Issue, homeless people in major cities throughout the world sell the paper and keep a share of the monies they earn - a hand-up rather than a hand-out. That's generosity!
The 7 Rules of Success workshop will be a fabulous day, and we'll look at the application of this Rule and the others to your life. If you've already enrolled or as soon as you do, email me a succinct (50 words) description of what you'd like to get from the day and which Rule you feel you need to enhance in particular.
