“Although we often stereotype givers as chumps and doormats, they turn out to be surprisingly successful.” So writes Adam Grant in his celebrated book, Give and Take: A Revolutionary New Approach to Success. Grant is an organizational psychologist at Wharton who has studied the question of reciprocity in the professional context. His research has found that not only do our interactions with others greatly determine our success, but givers often achieve “extraordinary results across a wide range of industries.”
In this lesson, Grant explores the characteristics of givers and takers and how you can use give/take relationships to advance your career.
What You'll Learn
Helping Is Not the Enemy of Productivity
Make introductions, share knowledge, and participate in mentoring. This will build your support network, should you need assistance in the future.
Exposure to different perspectives will facilitate problem solving.
Distinguish helpfulness and generosity from being timid and a push-over.
Optimize Your Give / Take Relationships
Ask habitual takers to reciprocate.
Or, Ask habitual takers to pay it forward.
Screen the motives of the people you interact with. Identify the takers.
Characteristics of a Taker
Tend to use “I” and “me” instead of “us” and “we”.
Tend to kiss up and kick down (peers and subordinates are more aware of takers).
Opt for “Other-ish”
If you are a giver, find a balance between benefiting others and advancing your own interests.
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- Wharton’s Youngest Tenured Professor, One of the World’s 40 Best Business Professors under 40
“Although we often stereotype givers as chumps and doormats, they turn out to be surprisingly successful.” Grant is an organizational psychologist at Wharton who has studied the question of reciprocity in the professional context.His research has found that not only do our interactions with others greatly determine our success, but givers often achieve “extraordinary results across a wide range of industries.”