Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success
- Downloads：4166
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-11 08:55:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Adam M. Grant
- ISBN：1780224729
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Give and Take highlights what effective networking， collaboration， influence， negotiation， and leadership skills have in common。
For generations， we have focused on the individual drivers of success: passion， hard work， talent， and luck。 But today， success is increasingly dependent on how we interact with others。 It turns out that at work， most people operate as either takers， matchers， or givers。 Whereas 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。
Using his own pioneering research as Wharton's youngest tenured professor， Grant shows that these styles have a surprising impact on success。 Although some givers get exploited and burn out， the rest achieve extraordinary results across a wide range of industries。 Combining cutting-edge evidence with captivating stories， this landmark book shows how one of America's best networkers developed his connections， why the creative genius behind one of the most popular shows in television history toiled for years in anonymity， how a basketball executive responsible for multiple draft busts transformed his franchise into a winner， and how we could have anticipated Enron's demise four years before the company collapsed - without ever looking at a single number。
Praised by bestselling authors such as Dan Pink， Tony Hsieh， Dan Ariely， Susan Cain， Dan Gilbert， Gretchen Rubin， Bob Sutton， David Allen， Robert Cialdini， and Seth Godin-as well as senior leaders from Google， McKinsey， Merck， Estee Lauder， Nike， and NASA - Give and Take highlights what effective networking， collaboration， influence， negotiation， and leadership skills have in common。 This landmark book opens up an approach to success that has the power to transform not just individuals and groups， but entire organizations and communities。
For generations， we have focused on the individual drivers of success: passion， hard work， talent， and luck。 But today， success is increasingly dependent on how we interact with others。 It turns out that at work， most people operate as either takers， matchers， or givers。 Whereas 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。
Using his own pioneering research as Wharton's youngest tenured professor， Grant shows that these styles have a surprising impact on success。 Although some givers get exploited and burn out， the rest achieve extraordinary results across a wide range of industries。 Combining cutting-edge evidence with captivating stories， this landmark book shows how one of America's best networkers developed his connections， why the creative genius behind one of the most popular shows in television history toiled for years in anonymity， how a basketball executive responsible for multiple draft busts transformed his franchise into a winner， and how we could have anticipated Enron's demise four years before the company collapsed - without ever looking at a single number。
Praised by bestselling authors such as Dan Pink， Tony Hsieh， Dan Ariely， Susan Cain， Dan Gilbert， Gretchen Rubin， Bob Sutton， David Allen， Robert Cialdini， and Seth Godin-as well as senior leaders from Google， McKinsey， Merck， Estee Lauder， Nike， and NASA - Give and Take highlights what effective networking， collaboration， influence， negotiation， and leadership skills have in common。 This landmark book opens up an approach to success that has the power to transform not just individuals and groups， but entire organizations and communities。
Reviews
Matt Bussing
，
Makes a great argument that life is better if you give than if you take。 Also， gives strategies on how to become a giver or enhance your giving。 I wish he would have talked more how personality interplays with giving and taking。
David Lansing
，
Some great nuggets and studies in this book that I found useful。 I especially found the distinction between chunking and sprinkling tasks to be accurate with my own experience - chunking is better and helps to avoid burnout。 I think I was more of a taker/matcher when I was younger and have put in an effort to give more and have found success in this approach。 The apathetic quadrant of the self interest/otherish chart seemed interesting and I wish he went into that distinction more as I see a lot Some great nuggets and studies in this book that I found useful。 I especially found the distinction between chunking and sprinkling tasks to be accurate with my own experience - chunking is better and helps to avoid burnout。 I think I was more of a taker/matcher when I was younger and have put in an effort to give more and have found success in this approach。 The apathetic quadrant of the self interest/otherish chart seemed interesting and I wish he went into that distinction more as I see a lot of people who appear to be in that quadrant。 I do wish there was more information about how people can be multifaceted and may be a matcher in some scenarios but givers in others for instance。 People are complicated after all。 How do people change over time？ Maybe some stories about how people stopped being givers or started would’ve helped drive home the messages of this book。 Overall a good read。 。。。more
Payton Youngblood
，
I do something for you if you do something for me and vice versa。 This concept of fairness has long been the default for human interaction。"Give and Take" is an argument against humanities prominent viewpoint。 Adam Grant， through anecdotal and quantitative data， encourages one to embrace altruism wholeheartedly。 By promoting a culture of giving， organizations are better able to achieve success while simultaneously promoting the greater good。 Grant's work is much needed evidence on the impact sel I do something for you if you do something for me and vice versa。 This concept of fairness has long been the default for human interaction。"Give and Take" is an argument against humanities prominent viewpoint。 Adam Grant， through anecdotal and quantitative data， encourages one to embrace altruism wholeheartedly。 By promoting a culture of giving， organizations are better able to achieve success while simultaneously promoting the greater good。 Grant's work is much needed evidence on the impact selfless giving can have on success and， more importantly， human relationships。"Givers advance the world。 Takers advance themselves and hold the world back。" - Simon Sinek 。。。more
Kirit Patel
，
Excellent book，
Jonathan Fang
，
Reassuring proof that giving is not losing
Christina Dalla Palu
，
Great read for anyone who holds a job where they works with others。 Very clear lines draw out if you are a Giver or a Taker。 Adam Grant allows us all to see the good and the not so good in each area。 Good read！
Vipin Gupta
，
As amazing as it can get
Richard McNeill
，
Amazing readphenomenal book which is inspiring and well done。 The explanation of givers， matchers， and takers was so obvious yet so hidden from my eyes。 If you think you know， you may not know why。 Adam did such a great job in opening my eyes as to the why's。 I am more challenged to be the giver and recognize these qualities in others Amazing readphenomenal book which is inspiring and well done。 The explanation of givers， matchers， and takers was so obvious yet so hidden from my eyes。 If you think you know， you may not know why。 Adam did such a great job in opening my eyes as to the why's。 I am more challenged to be the giver and recognize these qualities in others 。。。more
Meg
，
A good way to think about how we approach business with clear， illustrative examples。 I don’t think there was anything revolutionary， but I do think the book provided good cases studies that supported the theory that nice guys （or gals） do not have to finish last。
Larry
，
Good book， but could have been told in half the pages。 The point about being a giver is a good one。 The world would be a better place if everyone lived by the rules of this book。
Alice
，
Insightful book with a lot of examples。 Some parts we t a bit too long for me。 However appreciate very much the practical information at the end。
Aramide Salako
，
Fiction or nonfiction， ultimately， a book must be interesting。 That's the cardinal rule。 Interesting enough to sustain the interest of the reader till the last letter。 Dry spells are permitted every now and then， but they can't， in pretence of a suspense that lapses into ennui， take over the plot or thematic structure of the entire book so that the reader is only looking to get the reading experience over with， and quickly。 This， effectively， is what Adam Grant's Give and Take managed to accompl Fiction or nonfiction， ultimately， a book must be interesting。 That's the cardinal rule。 Interesting enough to sustain the interest of the reader till the last letter。 Dry spells are permitted every now and then， but they can't， in pretence of a suspense that lapses into ennui， take over the plot or thematic structure of the entire book so that the reader is only looking to get the reading experience over with， and quickly。 This， effectively， is what Adam Grant's Give and Take managed to accomplish， from my point of view。 I hate to say it， this book became boring all too suddenly， and never recaptured the promising spark of intrigue with which the book began。 The whole idea of the book， in a summary， is that givers somehow profit more from the act of giving， than takers or matchers。 That's the whole concept， buttressed by a host of research， interviews， opinions and suggestions。 The intention and effort of the author behind the telling of the stories， presentation of opinion， facts and figures cannot be entirely faulted。 He earnestly tried to inform the reader's mind on how givers are better served in the long run than takers and matchers。 Where the book falters， however， is that it dearly lacked the poetic rhythm， the ebb and flow to animatedly keep the reader intrigued from one page and chapter to the other。 One ought not lose sense of purpose and direction， even when you dropped the book hours before picking it up again。 In the end， I couldn't say it was a waste of time， I found the idea educative， but I was quite glad to drag myself to the finish line。 I couldn't bother to read the Action points on the other side。 I hope Originals， his latest book which I hope to read much later， is a vastly enjoyable read。 。。。more
Seth Forbes
，
Adam Grant outlines not only the distinct benefits of giving in a world traditionally presumed to be dominated by takers， but he also weaves interesting examples to back up his claims。 Prior to reading this book， I wasn't 100% sold on the art of giving because， as it turns out， a few of my most prominent authoritative figures growing up were takers - but Adam has convinced me that giving would not only be in my best interest， but it might very well bring out the "giving" nature in others as well Adam Grant outlines not only the distinct benefits of giving in a world traditionally presumed to be dominated by takers， but he also weaves interesting examples to back up his claims。 Prior to reading this book， I wasn't 100% sold on the art of giving because， as it turns out， a few of my most prominent authoritative figures growing up were takers - but Adam has convinced me that giving would not only be in my best interest， but it might very well bring out the "giving" nature in others as well。 Adam talks about two types of givers， which I found to be enlightening because the first thought that came to my mind was of someone who is typically labeled as a "doormat"。 If you're looking for a book that will reignite your perspective on what it means to network - and what feels like the true， genuine nature of what business should be about - I'd highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Amanda
，
I read this book because I would generally rate myself as a "giver" and this often leads to burnout。 I'm currently going through an intensive post-grad program and find myself giving a lot of my time and resources and then being taken advantage of by "takers"。 I wanted some concrete ways to become a productive giver。 This book had some interesting talking points， but all in all， I was left without a lot of concrete advice。 I felt like the author meandered his way through the first 5 or 6 chapter I read this book because I would generally rate myself as a "giver" and this often leads to burnout。 I'm currently going through an intensive post-grad program and find myself giving a lot of my time and resources and then being taken advantage of by "takers"。 I wanted some concrete ways to become a productive giver。 This book had some interesting talking points， but all in all， I was left without a lot of concrete advice。 I felt like the author meandered his way through the first 5 or 6 chapters， giving lots of examples of givers succeeding- which is great if you need a motivational speech， but I don't。 I did find the study about the optimal amount of time spent "giving" is 100 hrs a year/2 hrs a week- I think that's a concrete example of something I should implement。 But other than that， some of his advice such as "if it's a task that takes 5 minutes， always do it" just isn't practical。 Sure， five minutes here and five minutes there won't kill you- but it's the slow creep of takers taking five minutes， then ten minutes， and then expecting you to do their work for them that burns me out。 Also， this book is completely centered around the workplace/career if it wasn't obvious- so if you are a giver in your personal life， I didn't find anything helpful about this book。 But load of people seem to like it， so to each their own！ 。。。more
Shruti Bhargava
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 3。5+ rating。 Nice book。 Took a while to read。 Chapters towards the middle and the end were more relatable。 In general got me thinking of my behavior as giver， taker or matcher。 Final finished reading and returned the friend's book。 3。5+ rating。 Nice book。 Took a while to read。 Chapters towards the middle and the end were more relatable。 In general got me thinking of my behavior as giver， taker or matcher。 Final finished reading and returned the friend's book。 。。。more
Sarweshwar
，
Good book giving different perspective。
Chelsea Thompson-O'Brien
，
There are some low reviews I’d agree with in terms of over simplification， but generally， this was a solid read。
YJ 2370
，
3。5！
Steven McDonald
，
Very interesting read， it took me by surprise several times just how things work out for Givers in general。 I would say that the bulk of the info from this book is in the first half and the second half of the book is a collection of stories and scenarios that reinforce the core message。 It's really hard to give this book a strong recommendation though， it boils down to "Givers who set boundaries lead to success of those around them and themselves， Givers who are selfless burn out， and takers don Very interesting read， it took me by surprise several times just how things work out for Givers in general。 I would say that the bulk of the info from this book is in the first half and the second half of the book is a collection of stories and scenarios that reinforce the core message。 It's really hard to give this book a strong recommendation though， it boils down to "Givers who set boundaries lead to success of those around them and themselves， Givers who are selfless burn out， and takers don't get as far as you'd think"。 。。。more
Sarah
，
3。5 stars。
Frieda
，
The "big secret" is to become more of a giver than a taker in the workplace in order to get ahead。 Perhaps this is a no-brainer but in the corporate world， one may experience people who simply do whatever it takes to get ahead， even if it may hurt others。 It's a terrible way to live and to get ahead。 Being a giver myself， I find that sharing knowledge with my team will only boost productivity and improve the services that we provide for our young people and sets an example for them as well， whil The "big secret" is to become more of a giver than a taker in the workplace in order to get ahead。 Perhaps this is a no-brainer but in the corporate world， one may experience people who simply do whatever it takes to get ahead， even if it may hurt others。 It's a terrible way to live and to get ahead。 Being a giver myself， I find that sharing knowledge with my team will only boost productivity and improve the services that we provide for our young people and sets an example for them as well， while we assist them in finding employment and educational opportunities to meet their career goals。 。。。more
Andrei
，
Revolutionary idea。 Gets a bit boring towards the end。
Justin Mulder
，
Typical pop-psychology/sociology book。 It has one central theme and hammers it home over the course of 300 pages。 I will concede that there’s some interesting points， and especially the part where it talks about being “otherish” instead of being selfless。 And the concrete ideas are fairly useful too。 But it is still filled with a lot of anecdotes that are only put in there to give meaningful stories to the theory。 All in all it could probably be a 50 page booklet and convey the same ideas。
Sara Budarz
，
I've liked Adam Grant's newer books， but have to admit that Give and Take was good， but super repetitive。 If it had been edited down to half the length， it would have told a more powerful story。 The simple takeaway: we always assume that in a world of givers， takers， and matchers， takers will do the best。 This isn't true。 Givers will。 But givers will also do the worst。 The secret is to learn how to give without burning out and without giving up too much of your time and energy （the magic number I've liked Adam Grant's newer books， but have to admit that Give and Take was good， but super repetitive。 If it had been edited down to half the length， it would have told a more powerful story。 The simple takeaway: we always assume that in a world of givers， takers， and matchers， takers will do the best。 This isn't true。 Givers will。 But givers will also do the worst。 The secret is to learn how to give without burning out and without giving up too much of your time and energy （the magic number seemed to be about 2 hrs a week of helping others）。 It was a good message， but the one huge shortcoming of the book was not looking at the effect of gender norms。 What Grant shows time and again is that men can be takers and still get rewarded for aggressive behavior， but when they are givers they are treated like saints。 When women act like takers， they are punished， and when they are givers， they are seen as weak。 This he briefly mentions and then ignores for the rest of the time， despite the fact that that is a big deal， bc in essence， his advice only holds true for men。 。。。more
Abhijit
，
Grant divides people into 3 categories - Givers， Takers and Matchers。 The book is about how giving is the best of course of action in most situations， and how most of the top people in their field are all givers。 Overall it did introduce me to a couple helpful concepts that would help relieve my inhibition （if any） towards giving。It's a bit long for the amount of material contained。 You can skip the second half and you won't miss anything。 Grant divides people into 3 categories - Givers， Takers and Matchers。 The book is about how giving is the best of course of action in most situations， and how most of the top people in their field are all givers。 Overall it did introduce me to a couple helpful concepts that would help relieve my inhibition （if any） towards giving。It's a bit long for the amount of material contained。 You can skip the second half and you won't miss anything。 。。。more
Benjamin GM
，
One of my favourites of all time。 Adam takes you through a journey on how to become a better person， philantropist， and giver near the people you care for。
Robien Donkers
，
Give and take， a revolutionary approach to success， where Adam Grant highlights the power and delight in giving。 Giving is not to get ahead or be more successful but the point of giving is purely to do the right thing。 This book changed how I think about giving and helping people。 If you give more， and wisely you will be more likely to succeed。
Mark Gaskins
，
Great book！ I will definitely read more of his books！
Rannie
，
It’s an homage to white American male privilege。 Chloe’s review sums it up。
Gabriel
，