Give and Take
Give and Take
According to Adam Grant in “Give and Take,” basic societal beliefs in the type of people who get ahead in life and those who fall behind in life are incorrect. Grant categorizes three different types of people. A taker is categorized by his/her ability to take advantage of others for their own ambitions with little to no thought of reciprocating help unless he/she stands to gain something. Matchers, who represent the majority of society, expect an equal balance of giving and taking and operate on a “principle of fairness: when they help others, they protect themselves by seeking reciprocity.” Givers, the rarest of the three found in corporate cultures, are generous and have no problem helping others, even if it means they have nothing to benefit from. Grant argues that amongst these three distinct personality types, givers benefit the most in terms of corporate gain in the long run because they create secure and meaningful relationships and ultimately establish strong networks with those who in turn wish success and wellbeing for a giver.
Grant maintains that givers excel where matchers don't because by helping people without expecting reciprocity, they create “dormant ties” or relationships with people they don't have strong ties with. The strength of dormant ties lies in the fact that seemingly unrelated and weak ties serve as bridges: “they provide more efficient access to information.” In other words, weak ties open doors to different networks and unique leads.
The efficacy of a giver’s ability to capitalize on dormant ties is best seen in the case of Adam Rifkin. During college, Rifkin made a fan website for a band he was genuinely interested in. The band in question, Green Day, eventually soared in popularity and asked Rifkin if they could take over the website (which up to that point had been visited by hundreds of thousands of people.) Rifkin, a giver and a person who simply started the page as a fan of the band’s music, gave it to them for free. Five years passed since and Green Day had become a household name. Rifkin had at that point graduated from school and was trying to start a company. Because he didn't have any strong ties in Silicon Valley, he decided to send an email to Spencer, (the band’s longtime manager) asking if he remembered him as the fan who made the Green Day website. He then asked if Spencer would be willing to meet and offer advice. By their second interaction, Rifkin was being introduced to a venture capitalist which ultimately led to his company being founded.
Givers essentially believe in the goodness of people and are altruistic and generous people as a result. This belief creates dormant or unique ties with people who do not meet their immediate interests. These acts of kindness make good impressions on the people they've helped and those people in turn are glad to help them.
