Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success
by Adam Grant
Timeline Unknown
Los Angeles, CA
A gift from Kenny Lin
Kenny’s gift, “Leadershift,” was the first book I read and posted when I began reading more. I’d like to start the year and the new goal with another gift from Kenny, a book that highlights a revolutionary approach to success: giving. I enjoyed this book and recommend it, because I’ve been raised to be a giver. However, a lot of times giving to others can be exhausting and also taken advantage of. This book dives into different aspects of giving and helping others, reforming our way of doing it, I noticed it’s written in a slightly Malcolm Gladwell-ish way, which I didn’t mind but actually found appealing.
The book organizes itself through three different groups: takers, matchers, and givers; covering the actions of networking, collaborating, evaluating, and influencing. Presenting multiple stories about people and research cases to show how each of the different groups perform in these actions. Throughout the book, I’d write down a person I know personally that resembled or behaves like the examples being presented. Additionally, I’d check myself to see if I was the giver I assume myself to be, how I can improve my assistance, and how to start analyzing the people in front of me as well.
Givers are both at the top of the success ladder and the bottom, while we may not receive a reward or opportunities instantly, there will always be a good pay off in the future. In networking, I have a larger circle with strong ties, always reconnecting with dormant ties and generating this sense of pronoia. When it comes to collaboration, a point I always emphasize is to give everyone credit and not care about being the start, because I care the mostly about the results and being able to work with my partners again. I hold an expedition behavior that always put’s my people before myself, and rely on interdependence to get things done. What I lack is this idea of powerless communication and vulnerability, but I do work on listening to others and ask them questions to understand their needs and how I can serve them, while seeking advice from experts to help us progress. I’m always ready to be assertive when it comes to the commitment of my people and spread the ideology that if I am to help you, you must pay it forward. Giving is not just my duty, I take joy in it as well, that’s why I keep doing.
What I learned was actually put into action, while cooperating with my partner and when dealing with other parties in the initiative we have planned for Egypt. Additionally, taking notes to improve our nonprofit organization.