Book: The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success By Raising Your Confidence, Value and Prices
Author: John Ray
Review by: Soumaya Khalifa, president of intercultural and DEI consultancy Khalifa Consulting
As a consultant, when I am courting a new client, I am often asked what differentiates me from others in my field. I used to stumble over that question, partly because I know many outstanding consultants and partly because, like so many of us, I try to find the right balance between being humble and being confident.
John Ray’s recently published book, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success By Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, gives us direct and concrete guidance on striking that balance.
We all recognize the virtue of being humble. As children we are taught not to brag or to be “too big for our britches.” Our spiritual traditions strongly commend those of us who act humbly and live modestly. And yet, in order to succeed professionally, we have to advocate for our own strengths and achievements. Even the term “shameless self-promotion” underscores this dichotomy.
To find a higher level of success, Ray tells us to be generous with ourselves. Using stories and metaphors to unveil complex concepts, he shows us how to recognize the tangible and intangible aspects of our work that make us unique and the right fit for the right client.
The Generosity Mindset encourages us to engage in a dialogue with potential clients to discover their needs and challenges and the strengths and abilities that we have to help them. It is a frame of mind that embraces collaboration and engagement and is not afraid of competition. According to Ray, generosity-minded people see themselves as part of a bigger whole, as collaborators in world peace and prosperity.
In a business environment that seems to thrive on a winner-take-all approach, Ray’s book counsels us to remember that the pie we share is not finite, but can be made larger. Our work and our world are better when we create a bigger pie and find more ways to share it. Generosity with ourselves and openness to others fosters optimism and investment in the future.
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Each year, Global Atlanta asks influential readers and community leaders to review the most impactful book they read during the course of the year. This endeavor has continued annually since 2010.
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