Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success

Description

The motivations behind today's most successful leaders and entrepreneurs come to a simple yet decisive explanation: there are people who give, people who take, people who match, and people who fake. Our world is filled with these givers, takers, matchers and fakers. Amazingly, those who succeed (not only personally but for their clients and companies) don't take or match. They give. (Although they're not necessarily philanthropic.) GIVE AND TAKE presents the fascinating secrets to givers' success. The results are unequivocal: givers gain big. Jack Welch, Richard Branson, Jon Huntsman Sr. - all of them are givers. In a world in which so many takers such as Bernard Madoff and Raj Rajaratnam have ruined lives and reputations, this book will reassure readers that the real power lies in becoming a giver. Since the vast majority of people aren't born givers, Grant not only presents the case for why givers win, he also offers their hidden strategies for winning.

Adam Grant is the youngest tenured professor at Wharton, and an award-winning researcher and teacher. Previously, he was a record-setting salesperson, negotiator, and advertising director at Let's Go Publications; an All-American and Junior Olympic springboard diver; a conflict mediator; and a professional magician.

Give and Take is perfectly timed and beautifully weighted ... Above all, Grant's book is optimistic, a refreshing change after years of reading angry indictments of fallen corporate idols ... [An] excellent book -- Andrew Hill * Financial Times * Backed up by anecdotes of success across a range of industries and scenarios, as well as numerous academic studies, the arguments of Give and Take are grounded in ample research ... His writing style draws you in ... [I]t's an interesting take on game theory in a practical context, and the notion that givers can succeed is an inspirational one * City A.M. * Give and Take just might be the most important book of this young century. As insightful and entertaining as Malcolm Gladwell at his best, this book has profound implications for how we manage our careers, deal with our friends and relatives, raise our children, and design our institutions. This gem is a joy to read, and it shatters the myth that greed is the path to success -- Robert Sutton, author of The No Asshole Rule and Good Boss, Bad Boss Give and Take is a truly exhilarating book - the rare work that will shatter your assumptions about how the world works and keep your brain firing for weeks after you've turned the last page -- Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and To Sell is Human Give and Take is brimming with life-changing insights. As brilliant as it is wise, this is not just a book - it's a new and shining worldview. Adam Grant is one of the great social scientists of our time, and his extraordinary new book is sure to be a bestseller -- Susan Cain, author of Quiet Give and Take cuts through the clutter of cliches in the marketplace and provides a refreshing new perspective on the art and science of success. Adam Grant has crafted a unique, 'must have' toolkit for accomplishing goals through collaboration and reciprocity -- William P. Lauder, Executive Chairman, The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. Give and Take is a pleasure to read, extraordinarily informative, and will likely become one of the classic books on workplace leadership and management. It has changed the way I see my personal and professional relationships, and has encouraged me to be a more thoughtful friend and colleague -- Jeff Ashby, NASA space shuttle commander With Give and Take, Adam Grant has marshaled compelling evidence for a revolutionary way of thinking about personal success in business and in life. Besides the fundamentally uplifting character of the case he makes, readers will be delighted by the truly engaging way he makes it. This is a must read -- Robert Cialdini, author of Influence Give and Take is a brilliant, well-documented, and motivating debunking of 'good guys finish last'! I've noticed for years that generosity generates its own kind of equity, and Grant's fascinating research and engaging style have created not only a solid validation of that principle but also practical wisdom and techniques for utilizing it more effectively. This is a super manifesto for getting meaningful things done, sustainably -- David Allen, author of Getting Things Done Packed with cutting-edge research, concrete examples, and deep insight, Give and Take offers extraordinarily thought-provoking - and often surprising - conclusions about how our interactions with others drive our success and happiness. This important and compulsively-readable book deserves to be a huge success -- Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project