Leaders can express generosity through mentorship, servant leadership, and volunteerism.

Peter Drucker displayed his generosity through mentorship and sharing his time and knowledge.

Robert K. Greenleaf's concept of servant leadership is a form of leadership generosity.

One positive way to distinguish yourself as a leader is through your generosity.

Generosity is a multidimensional capability that can take many forms. While financial generosity (such as charitable donations and philanthropy) is certainly important, and often top of mind when people think of someone as generous, there are other expressions of generosity worth considering.

In many years of studying the life and work of Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, I have been struck by how many of his former students, colleagues, and associates (many in leadership positions) spoke of his generosity of time, talent, knowledge, and attention.

Mentorship: Sharing Time and Talent

Even late in life, Drucker’s schedule was extremely busy as a writer, consultant, and professor at the Drucker School of Management, at Claremont Graduate University, in Claremont, California, where he taught until his death at the age of 95 in 2005.

Yet Drucker often made time for others, sharing his knowledge and being a role model, including helping to advance the careers of former students. He also displayed a spirit of generosity by mentoring people, including high-level executives such as the late Max De Pree, longtime CEO of the innovative furniture/design company Herman Miller. One of the company’s........

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