Have you heard of Adam Grant? If not, you soon will.
Not only is Dr. Grant the youngest tenured professor at The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, he’s also their highest-rated teacher in their MBA program. His new book, Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success, is getting a lot of buzz lately and here’s why.
Dr. Grant’s research shows that in our technological world, our relationships play an even more important part in an individual’s success. We need to operate in a much more interdependent manner.
This means that relationships and our personal reputations are ever-more critical in shaping the opportunities that come our way, innovative idea generation, referrals, and promotion recommendations. He describes three major trends behind the rise in this interdependence:
Dr. Grant’s research has been focused on uncovering the factors that contribute most to an individual’s success, beyond the basic attributes of hard work, talent and a bit of luck. What he discovered is that those who put the interests of the team (others) first are the ones who will achieve long-term success.
In his book, Dr. Grant describes three types of people: Takers, Matchers, or Givers. “Takers” strive to get as much as possible from others and “Matchers” aim to trade evenly. “Givers” are the rare breed of people who contribute to others without expecting anything in return.
So how can you begin to behave more like a Giver and add value? Dr. Grant’s research suggests these three things:
What really makes me happy about this research is that it proves that GOOD GUYS/GALS CAN FINISH FIRST!
Helping others does ultimately serve you best and sets you up for a wildly successful life. Amen to that sista!
This was originally published on PeopleResult’s Current blog.
