Gain by Giving

Certain principles of nature manifest themselves everywhere. Like cause and effect, also known as, for every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction.

Leo Dirr is a former InsideSales.com employee and personal friend, whose many travels manifest to him the inevitability of the principle of generosity and karma: the idea that when you give, you receive.

Leo calls it the Law of Reciprocity, and he grew so intrigued by the idea, he put together a business plan and recently announced he was heading out on his own to try to make a go of it.

As a CEO, sometimes it’s your painful duty and exciting opportunity to watch great people leave to grow in pursuit of their own dreams.

The result is Leo’s Generosity Engine, and it’s the only for-profit business I know of with the goal of helping customers find joy and success through faith, love and generosity.

I recently checked in with Leo to see how his project was progressing.

DE: The obvious first question is: why have you chosen to devote your life to teaching others about the power of generosity?

LD: The most amazing lesson I have learned is that the more I help other people, the better my own life becomes. It’s predictable. You can count on it.

The law of reciprocity -- which basically says that when you show kindness to others, they feel a burning desire to reciprocate -- is the most powerful, and overlooked, principle in the world.

It’s the secret. It’s the key to success because it’s the key to building strong relationships. Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care. You hear that saying all the time, but many people still forget to consistently apply this principle.

DE: Give me an example of what happens when people incorporate generosity into their lives and business?

LD: Consistent and proactive generosity can lead to greater career success in the form of promotions, exciting new opportunities, leadership positions, higher incomes, and increased job performance and satisfaction.

The greatest benefit is usually better relationships. These strengthened relationships open the door for you to receive the other blessings. 

Leading with generosity is not only a more profitable way to do business, it is also a more enjoyable way to do business.

Suddenly, people go from being indifferent or adversarial to your ideas and proposals to being supportive and cooperative. They truly want the best for you and they begin investing in your success. You occupy a different place in their brains. You hear ‘yes’ more frequently and ‘no’ less so. Working together becomes more meaningful, exciting and rewarding.

DE: This is all reminiscent of the book ‘Love is the Killer App’ that was so influential a decade ago. Tell me more about The Generosity Engine.

LD: The Generosity Engine is a coaching program that helps you achieve your goals through faith, love and generosity. It’s kind of like having a personal trainer who reminds you to consistently invest in your most important relationships.

The program consists of regular coaching calls that show you how to identify your most important and profitable relationships, understand your connections’ true desires and motivations, and connect the dots between people you know and those you’d like to know for warm introductions.

The most important piece is daily generosity. You will develop the powerful habit of instinctively helping others without being asked -- and that's when the real magic happens.

DE: Coaching is all the rage these days. Sounds like a smart model. But the shortcoming of the coaching model is sometimes the coachee doesn’t have time to do so much of the work. Do you have an approach to that scenario?

LD: If you need assistance with execution, I can help with that.

For example, I can write or edit thank you notes – which is a tiny act with a huge payoff – or I can research the perfect gifts for your valued customers. I can write or edit nomination letters for awards and leadership positions that will benefit your connections. I can identify useful information and resources for your friends and associates, which is something they always appreciate.

DE: I’ve heard you can help people reconnect with individuals who had a significant impact in their lives so they can thank them. Can you tell me more about that?

LD: Absolutely. Let’s say you’ve experienced a lot of success in your life, and you’ve had amazing friends and mentors along the way, but you’ve lost touch with many of them. And you’d like to reconnect with these people who had a significant impact in your life so you can thank them and tell them how much they mean to you. We can help you find those folks and express your gratitude -- whether that’s through letters, phone calls or an intimate dinner party.

When I talk to people about this, they get excited. Their eyes light up. Most of us have people from our pasts we would love to thank. We just don’t know how to find them or how to reach out. If that interests you, we would love to help you do that.

DE: This all sounds great but so do many nascent businesses. How do you plan to build this into a viable long-term enterprise?

LD: I only have two goals:

First, I hope to help as many people as possible to achieve their goals through faith, love and generosity.

Second, I hope to not end up homeless in the process.

I have seen firsthand how faith, love and generosity can transform people’s lives and careers. I’m sure there are millions of others who feel the same way and are looking for simple approaches to implementing these principles into their daily lives. That’s exactly the service we provide.

DE: I agree generosity pays us back. That’s much of what’s behind InsideSales.com’s Do Good Foundation. So, I agree your foundational principle is sound. What I think we’re all interested to see is whether it’s enough to sustain a for-profit business. I certainly hope so.

What do you think? Is a business that helps customers be more generous and loving a sustainable one? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

If you want to learn more about Leo’s new project, email him at [email protected] or connect with him on LinkedIn here.