Give and Take
By Adam Grant
Read in 9th grade
What drives success? When you envision the people at the top of your workplace, do you see them as givers who will help, or takers who have succeeded at the expense of others? Believe it or not, givers occupy the top positions (and the bottom), with takers and matchers in between. So what causes the disparity? Givers take their time to help others improve and share their knowledge. This seems like a perfect way to fall behind. However, the matchers will eventually repay this favor when a giver needs something. The most successful givers also know how to identify takers, so they won't be exploited. They do this by constantly observing behavior, because even though a taker can fake over a few conversations, the lies will eventually add up and reveal them.
Another thing that comes from helping is the expansion of your social network. If you have ties to many people, then you can use those connections to help people in the future. A great example of this is an entrepreneur who holds meetings where he invites people he knows and hooks them up with others. But what about the givers at the bottom? All the givers who are successful are otherish, meaning that they know how much they can give without sacrificing themselves. However, selfless givers go too far. They spend the entire day helping, burn the midnight oil getting work done, and fall behind. So, now you know how to be a successful giver!
Another thing that comes from helping is the expansion of your social network. If you have ties to many people, then you can use those connections to help people in the future. A great example of this is an entrepreneur who holds meetings where he invites people he knows and hooks them up with others. But what about the givers at the bottom? All the givers who are successful are otherish, meaning that they know how much they can give without sacrificing themselves. However, selfless givers go too far. They spend the entire day helping, burn the midnight oil getting work done, and fall behind. So, now you know how to be a successful giver!
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