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on May 28, 2015
This is close to the best business book I have ever read. Every story had me reflecting on my own behavior and those of the people I work with. He defines several reciprocity styles, givers, takers, matchers, and fakers. It is far more nuanced than this as one reads the book full of research and anecdotal stories it is clear that all of these styles exist in everyone depending on the situation and circumstances and what is the interaction between the parties. Adam Grant simplifies the language to make it more accessible to the reader but on reflection one can easily understand that his simplistic portraits are far more complex than is being revealed. The main point is that giving is multiplier of success but it has its conditions trigger others to become givers as well. Having worked in many large corporations and reflecting on the premise of the book it is easy to understand those internal adversarial cultures and why the are toxic to the soul and the challenges that the HR departments have when trying to create a happy face environment. It is also clear that the main issue is with leadership and why the self appointed leaders can destroy value quickly by over valuing their own self image. Want to understand the problems with executive compensation and leadership, read this book, it won't be obvious at first but try and apply the concepts to an economic system of fairness and giving and it will be evident quickly.

If you live and work by the "Art of War" then this book is going to challenge many of your notions of ruthless winner and in place it might show how diplomacy with a hint of generosity wins over all else in the longer term.
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on April 11, 2017
“Givers”, “Takers”, and “Matchers” are three fundamental styles of interacting with others. “Takers” use other people solely for their own gain. “Givers” focus on acting in the interests of others, even when the benefits to others exceed the cost to themselves. “Matchers” operate on the principle of fairness by seeking reciprocity.
Which one best describes you in business?
Of course, in marriage and friendships, we contribute whenever we can without keeping score. We also shift from one style of behaviour to another, across different work roles and relationships. However, we all have a primary style and it has been shown to play as much of a role in our work success as hard work, talent, and luck.
Which style of relating is most likely to end up at the bottom of the success ladder, and which style on top? Pause here for a moment and reflect on your personal experience.
Research demonstrates that givers sink to the bottom of the success ladder - they make others better off, but sacrifice their own success. In a study of more than 160 engineers in California the least successful engineers were those who gave more than they received. A study of more than 600 medical students in Belgium, showed the lowest grades going to those described as givers. Salespeople were no different, with givers generating 2 ½ times less in annual sales.
“On average, givers earn 14% less money, have twice the risk of becoming victims of crimes, and are judged as 22 % less powerful and dominant,” reports author Professor Adam Grant, the youngest full professor of the Wharton School of Business.
If the givers are at the bottom of the success ladder, who then is at the top—takers or matchers?
The data reveals a surprising pattern – the givers again! “This pattern holds up across the board,” Grant reports. “The top performers were givers, and they averaged 50 percent more annual revenue than the takers and matchers.” It was only at the start of medical school that givers underperformed. They increased their scores each year and by the sixth year, the givers earned substantially higher grades than their peers. When the givers became doctors, they climbed still further ahead. And this pattern holds true across occupations.
David Hornik, a venture capitalist, is admired for his commitment to acting in the best interests of entrepreneurs. When he gives an entrepreneur a term sheet - a bullet-point document outlining the material terms and conditions of a business agreement - he also suggests that they shop around to ensure they get the best deal for themselves. Other investors, and if it is a promising deal there are always others, give entrepreneurs a tight deadline to respond to their offer in order to prevent shopping around.
The best venture capitalists have an acceptance rate of nearly 50% of the term sheets they offer. In the 11 years as a venture capitalist, Hornik has offered 28 term sheets and twenty-five have accepted.
“In this book, I want to persuade you that we underestimate the success of givers like David Hornik,” Grant asserts.
Giving can be more powerful and less dangerous than most would believe. “Givers reverse the popular plan of succeeding first and giving back later, raising the possibility that those who give first are often best positioned for success later,” Adam explains. The venture capitalist Randy Komisar remarks, “It’s easier to win if everybody wants you to win… (If) you don’t make enemies out there, it’s easier to succeed.”
Success is less about raw talent or aptitude, and more about the strategies givers use. Givers are not necessarily nice, and they’re not necessarily altruistic.
In a purely win-lose interaction, giving rarely pays. Most of life is not win-lose. People who choose giving as their primary reciprocity style end up reaping rewards. One reason why givers take time to succeed, is that it takes time for givers to build goodwill and trust, and establish reputations and relationships that enhance their success.
“Being a giver is not good for a 100-yard dash, but it’s valuable in a marathon,” says Chip Conley, founder of Joie de Vivre Hotels. Today, speed is making the long-run shorter, and technology is amplifying the advantages of being a giver. In the past, most people worked in independent jobs that rarely required collaboration, so it was fairly inefficient to be a giver. Today, more than 80 percent of Americans work in service jobs where giving is not a choice, but a business necessity.
Steve Jones, the former CEO of one of the largest banks in Australia, commissioned a study of successful financial advisers. It was not financial expertise or effort that made for success, it “was whether a financial adviser had the client’s best interests at heart, above the company’s and even his own.”
All this needs to be calibrated by observation, that too many givers become pushovers and doormats, and fail to advance their own interests. What differentiates successful givers from failed givers is the degree to which the givers expressed two key motivations: self-interest and other-interest. Self-interest involves pursuing power and achievement, and other-interest focuses on being generous and helpful.
This is well illustrated by a study of “Caring Canadian” award winners. The award is made by the Governor General of Canada to honour volunteers. In their life stories, these highly successful givers mentioned a quest for power and achievement almost twice as often as the comparison group. They also had roughly 20% more objectives related to gaining influence, earning recognition, and attaining individual excellence.
Takers score high in self-interest and low in other-interest and selfless givers score high on other-interest and low on self-interest. Selfless giving is a form of pathological altruism, an unhealthy focus on others to the detriment of one’s own needs.
“If takers are selfish and failed givers are selfless, successful givers are “otherish”: they care about benefiting others, but they also have ambitious goals for advancing their own interests,” Grant concludes.
Much food for thought.

Readability Light --+-- Serious
Insights High +---- Low
Practical High --+--Low
*Ian Mann of Gateways consults internationally on leadership and strategy and is the author of
Strategy that Works
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on April 10, 2017
Nice guys finish last.

I have believed in this cliché my entire life. I could probably think of at least a dozen examples in my life where I saw a self-centered person hired, promoted, or in some way rewarded while I (or someone I know) is ignored, passed by, or even punished. In those moments, it can be completely debilitating. That’s why the “nice guys finish last” cliché is so powerful. It feels so true.

However, there’s a difference between something feeling true and something being true.

In Adam Grant’s Give and Take, he identifies three types of people: givers, matchers, and takers. Givers are the selfless ones. Matchers are the quid pro quo group, and takers are the selfish ones. Conventional wisdom tells us takers get ahead, but in Grant’s research, givers rise to the top more frequently.

As I read this book I was kind of in disbelief the whole time, but page after page, Grant hit me with more evidence. I definitely think of myself as a giver (though I know I’m not perfect, I’m sure I have regretfully done some matching and taking in my life) and if you look at my life right now I don’t think anyone would identify me as losing. Perhaps then I am evidence that over time givers rise to the tops as takers are exposed and matchers ignored.

This book is a case for giving: who gives, how to give, and where it takes us. There is one caveat to all this: it has to be authentic. Giving to get ahead is matching, not giving. People can see right through that.

I feared this book would be a “cover spoiler” which I define as a book where the title or cover gives you all the information you really need and the entire book just repeats itself over and over again 200+ pages, but this book is full of wisdom and insights. I think this book is a great investment for leaders young and old.

Here’s a great excerpt from the end of the book that wraps it up neatly: “We spend the majority of our waking hours at work. This means that what we do at work becomes a fundamental part of who we are. If we reserve giver values for our personal lives, what will be missing in our professional lives?”
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on July 29, 2015
I really enjoyed the book and I thought that Adam Grant did a nice job in telling stories and tapping into the various research to support his theory that givers are, ultimately, more successful that takers. My only criticism, and it is a minor one, is that there seemed to be an element of the redundant throughout. I found myself saying, 'okay, I get that...move on.' Otherwise, the topic and the quality of delivery were outstanding and I was delighted to have read the book. Peter Smith, Author, Hiring Squirrels
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on August 9, 2013
There are three styles of social interaction concerning reciprocity: Takers, who take more than they give in life; matchers who give tit for tat; and givers, who give to help others. When it comes to who wins and who loses in life, researcher and author Adam Grant concludes that givers do both--win and lose. A Wharton professor, Grant makes some powerful observations to support his descriptions and analysis of all three types; ultimately, he concludes that "otherish" givers (generous but sensible) come out on top every time. Losing givers (overly selfless givers) were those who gave too much to others at their own expense, earned 14% less, were twice as likely to be victims, and were 22 percent less powerful than either matchers or takers. In the book, Grant describes the difference between these two types of givers: The champs and the chumps!

Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success (Viking/Penguin Group, 2013) by Adam Grant, reviewed by Steve Gladis, PhD, August 2013.
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on December 3, 2015
very inspiring, informative and supported by research.
The only thing is that the book is at some points rather long. A liltte more editing would have done the book more justice. Other than this I would recommend reading this book as it not only addresses the differences between givers, takers and matchers, but it also discusses the pitfalls of each of the styles, which will help you actively decide what type of person you'd like to be.
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on April 26, 2014
I purchased this book after hearing about it as a recommendation from the great Value Investor Monish Pabrai.

It is a fantastic read for anyone who wants to succeed in their life while being a good and "giving" person at the same time. I found it was also a perfect book for Value Investors, as they are natural givers that appreciate the work they do; and want their partners to succeed with them through their efforts.

Give and Take also offers great advice on how to expand on your own personal giving network. This is one of the great lessons from the billionaire Charlie Munger (Warren Buffett's lesser known partner) as he contributes much of his personal success to the "Web of Trust" of people that he has managed to gather together throughout his life. When successful and giving people get together, it is quite a gift.

The author, Adam Grant, offers much valuable information which I found extremely useful and thought provoking, such as:

1. How to care for others, but also having healthy ambitious goals for advancing your own interests.
2. How true Givers actually stay energized by knowing or seeing other people personally benefiting from their work and help.
3. How to successfully deal with a "Taker" style personality.
4. How to expand your personal giving.

I highly recommend this book, and appreciate the many clear insights that it offers.
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on November 1, 2015
I'm a college business student, and I read this book for a class project. More than being a welcome break from my regular textbooks, this book made me confident that I don't need to view life and especially college as a competition, but rather as an opportunity to make connections that can help everyone. The book goes through and gives many examples of people who were generous in a way that benefited others as well as themselves. It also addresses the idea of givers as 'doormats,' and distinguishes the traits of successful and unsuccessful givers. All around a very interesting and worthwhile read.
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on March 1, 2017
This has become one of my favorite books. Adam Grant is a great writer and I am glad I was introduced to his work. This book gives you a great look into givers, takers, and matchers. It breaks it down and gives you insight in ways I haven't seen before. Eye-opening and thoughtfully crafted book - I am looking forward to read his other writings.
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This book has changed my life, and I rarely say that. By providing extensive evidence of the benefits of being a giver, Adam Grant explains precisely why it is better to give than to receive. I've incorporated Grant's work into my speeches, I frequently talk about and recommend this book to my friends and colleagues, but most of all, I've been motivated more than ever to give to others and think less about myself.

"Give and Take" and Dan Harris's "10% Happier" are the two best books I read in 2014, and I'm grateful to Adam Grant for reminding us of the importance of thinking about how our actions affect others.
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