Hey, it's Rachel Cook, your modern mentor. I'm the founder of Lead Above Noise, a firm

specializing in activating workplaces, helping leaders bring simplicity, ease, and big, giant

results to the forefront. First, a loving reminder that your questions and curiosities are

the fuel behind the show. So if something, anything workplace

related has been on your mind, then leave me a voicemail with your question at 201-67-8113. And I may just

answer it on a future episode. Just be sure to let me know if you'd like me to keep your name

anonymous. So these days, the workplace,

whether in person or virtual, it just isn't doing a lot for us. Studies show that employee

engagement globally is really down. Reports of joy, of excitement, these are all down,

and it's overwhelming. Today, I am going to give you the

quick solution to all of these challenges. I'm kidding. No, I am absolutely not going to do that,

but I am going to remind you of this. All of these big challenges, engagement, joy, connection,

they all live on a dial, not a switch.

And our goal, as leaders or as citizens, isn't to flip a switch from down to up,

but rather to make progress every day, turning that dial just a smidge.

And one of the most powerful strategies we all have at our fingertips is generosity.

One of my personal heroes, Adam Grant, talks a lot about givers and takers in the workplace.

And his research shows that givers, perhaps surprisingly, tend to be more successful than takers,

but with an important caveat.

In a Harvard Business Review article, he says,

givers need to distinguish generosity from three other attributes, timidity, availability, and empathy.

In other words, acts of generosity should be strategic.

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