A Strategic Coach colleague told me the story of his cab ride to the workshop we were attending that day. A connection for good was created from two simple questions: “Where are you from?” and “Tell me about your family.”

You see, the cabbie was a Somali immigrant—husband, father of three, brother to four, and son to a mom and dad, all still in Somalia. He saw his wife and kids for the first time in two years this past summer when they arranged to meet in a neighboring country—since he is unable to return to Somalia without risking the lives of his family members.

The $14 cab fare turned into $114 with a generous tip and best wishes to “see your family soon.”

My colleague? He could have sat in the back seat, texting, checking email, or simply staring out the window, and had $100 to spend on dinner that night. He chose to spend his cab ride wisely and says, “Heck, that only cost me $100. I’ll tell that story of connection a hundred times and never miss what I gave away. The cabbie? He’ll get to see his family a few days earlier.”

I wonder, does connected generosity multiply, or what?!

Take care,

John

P.S. Have you been thinking about how you might do generosity differently in 2014? Maybe you’d like to have more of these stories of connection in the year ahead.