Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant
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Learn about the power of giving and the impact it can have on your personal + professional success.
Crucial quotes
“As Samuel Johnson purportedly wrote, ‘The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.’”
“When Lincoln invited his rivals to join his cabinet, they had the chance to see firsthand how much he was willing to contribute for the sake of other people and his country. Several years before Lincoln became president, one of his rivals, Edwin Stanton, had rejected him as a co-counsel in a trial, calling him a “gawky, long-armed ape.” Yet after working with Lincoln, Stanton described him as “the most perfect ruler of men the world has ever seen.”
The worst performers and the best performers are givers; takers and matchers are more likely to land in the middle.
Expedition behavior involves putting the group’s goals and mission first, and showing the same amount of concern for others as you do for yourself.
Strong ties provide bonds, but weak ties serve as bridges: they provide more efficient access to new information. Our strong ties tend to travel in the same social circles and know about the same opportunities as we do. Weak ties are more likely to open up access to a different network, facilitating the discovery of original leads.
Research demonstrates that givers sink to the bottom of the success ladder. Across a wide range of important occupations, givers are at a disadvantage: they make others better off but sacrifice their own success in the process.
Tweetable summary:
- Giving more than you get can result in great individual and group success.
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