What Would a Generous Politician Look Like?

We are in the middle of another election cycle in the US. But wherever you are in the world, you can relate the the drama, hype and ideology that is an election in our 21st Century world. As I have watched this election unfold (and others like it), I have begun to ask myself the question, "What would a generous politician look like?"

The reason I ask the question is that political battles are usually anything but generous. It is a game of releasing only what you must when it is to your advantage and holding back anything that would reveal too much about who you are and what you really believe.

So I thought it might be nice to share some things that a politician could do to be a Generous Mind. Here are a few ideas that I would love to see become a reality in our political landscape:

• What if a politician shared a book they were reading each month with their constituencies? It would not be a promo for a like-minded author as much as a way for voters to get to know them, get educated and think through what the candidate is thinking through.
• A politician might generously walk the voters through their thinking on an issue and openly share how their ideas had grown deeper, morphed and modified over their career.
• It would be truly generous if a politician would be willing to listen to voters and then share specific responses to those concerns. Even if they didn't have a full answer, they would be willing to say that they did not and talk about how an answer might be found together.
• What if politicians generously shared about the struggles and challenges of running for office and helped people think through the more nuanced realities they were facing rather than focus on one-liners and platitudes?
• What if a politician wrote every speech they gave and invested their own sweat into those communications?
• How might a voter's trust increase if a politician showed real value and appreciation for those they were running against?

These are just a few thoughts on how a politician might be more of a generous mind. Do you have any to add?