Summary: Givers vs. Takers: The Surprising Truth about Who Gets Ahead Why some people rise to the top of the success ladder, while others sink to the bottom? Is it "survival of the fittest" - the strongest, and most selfish, win? Surprisingly, as much as it may seem so - no. It turns out that success involves a blend of effective networking, collaboration, influence, and leadership skills - plus an increasingly important factor: our styles of exchanging value - our "reciprocity profile." Julie Ann's ConsciousSHIFT guest Adam Grant, Wharton professor and author of "GIVE AND TAKE: A Revolutionary Approach to Success," reveals that those who succeed at the highest levels are not selfish takers - but generous givers. In Adam's extensive research, it turns out that in professional interactions, most people operate as either takers, matchers, or givers. Whereas takers strive to claim as much value as possible and matchers aim to trade value evenly, givers are the rare breed who contribute to others without expecting anything in return. Adam shares that these three styles have dramatic effects on our success - revealing how one of America’s best networkers developed his connections, why a 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 turned things around, and how we could have anticipated Enron’s demise four years before the company collapsed —without ever looking at a single number. As fellow visionary and author Dan Pink says of Adam's GIVE AND TAKE: "Every so often a book comes along that changes the way you see the world ... [this] is one of those books. ... [GIVE AND TAKE] offers a path for how to become the sort of giver who flourishes without being fleeced." Sound interesting? Then join Julie Ann and Adam to explore an approach to work, interactions, and productivity that is nothing short of revolutionary. This new view of success has the power to transform not just individuals and groups, but entire organizations and communities.
