If there was ever a time to be generous, it’s now.

As much as I’d like to build a case for Haiyan aid, let me take a step back and mention several of the benefits of generosity that you can experience personally.

It Fast-Tracks Your Leadership Character

In his new book The Heart of Leadership, author Mark Miller says that the key mark of a person’s leadership character is putting others first. Being generous means putting the needs of others above our own by going out of our way to work for their benefit. Does that mean we’ll all of a sudden get promoted? Probably not, but then again, it might. It’s at least an indicator that we may be ready.

It Exercises Good Logic

I don’t believe in karma or that the good we do will inevitably return to us. But that shouldn’t stop us from doing what we can with what we have. In the case of the Haiyan victims, there is a good chance that the survivors will never be able to repay aid suppliers. But we shouldn’t expect them to, should we?

Doesn’t it make sense that people who have a lot would freely and temporarily step in a help people who have lost everything?

It Makes a Difference

Generosity isn’t exclusively about money. We can be generous with our talents, time, creativity, networks, ideas – the list is endless. The Grapevine Faith high school football program gave half their fans to cheer for their opponents from a maximum security correctional facility since they never got to play any home games. The impact was off the charts. Small acts of generosity make a difference too.

It Starts a New Habit

Whenever you take a first step in a new direction, it’s easier to take a second (whether for better or worse). The ultimate goal of generosity isn’t a one time experience but a lifestyle. You don’t need to start big. In fact, start small. Start where you are. Simply start.

It Changes You

Remember Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol? He was cold-hearted, tight-fisted and greedy! But a frightening intervention sent him on a generosity mission and he was never the same again. Of course Scrooge was a fictional character, but he’s a caricature of the effects of both greed and generosity.

An old proverb states that “he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” That’s why stories of ridiculous generosity are so inspiring: we intrinsically want in. Here’s the good news: you don’t have to wait!

It is So Much Fun!

Last week the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the city of San Francisco came together to make a 5 year-old leukemia patient’s dream come true by allowing him to be “Batkid” for a day. They staged elaborate “crimes” for Batkid to solve, villains to arrest and even a damsel to save. Everyone was in on it, from the police department to local shops to the news media. You can’t tell me that wasn’t a blast!

Today the need is for the survivors of Haiyan. Yesterday it was Sandy, Tohoku and Katrina. Who knows what it will be tomorrow. I challenge you to join me in sharing a little bit of what you have to benefit those in the Philippines who have lost everything. You can make a donation through the Red Cross or a number of other groups.

If you were in their shoes, wouldn’t you hope someone would come to your aid on your darkest day?

Next week I’ll share six ways you can take your generosity to the next level.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

I still haven’t forgotten that day, but not for the reasons you might expect.

We sat down at a table and I began telling this busy man what I was learning in my graduate program and in the store and what I hoped to contribute at the corporate level. He was interested and engaged, but not enough to miss the young mother who had walked past my line of sight and into his with a stroller, her items and a small child in tow and was approaching the door. He quickly jumped up from the table, held the door open for the customer and then returned to our table where I continued my spiel.

And then it happened a second time.

Talk about making a poor first and second impression. But it gets worse.

I had somehow failed to let my operator know the director would be stopping by his store. He had taken the Friday afternoon off to celebrate his son’s birthday at the lake over the weekend. He was also in the process of applying for a larger store. So when he found out the director would be coming by, he had to make a mad dash from his family at the lake to get back to the store in time to greet the director and make a positive impression.

Here’s the ironic part: both my operator and the director had gone out of their way to put their focus on me – to help me win. Unfortunately my complete tunnel vision on my own goals blinded me to the situation and I missed my most important objectives: to serve my customers and my operator. I cared about them, but in the moment I was focused only on me. What a mistake!

In his new book The Heart of Leadership, author Mark Miller says the one distinction that sets great leaders apart is this: Are you a serving leader or a self-serving leader? He then goes on to talk about the character side of leadership, which starts when we think others first. It’s a mindset more than anything else. Instead of being in the leadership game solely to accomplish personal victories, the greatest leaders use their influence and resources to help the people around them be more successful. It’s not easy, but it is crucial. Without leadership character, a person may attain a position of leadership but is not likely to keep it for the long-haul.

If this had happened in a military context (I was in the Army Reserves at the time), I would have been dressed down so severely I might not have talked to a superior ever again. But my operator never mentioned it to me and is still a champion of my goals today. Years later, the director is now a senior director. My operator got the bigger store and is currently being considered for a second one. I never did make it into the corporate office and became a consultant instead. I’d like to think things have worked out for the best.

I missed an opportunity in the store that day, but hopefully I haven’t missed out on the greater lesson: to use who I am and what I can do to help those around me win. Will you join me?

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.