To succeed, be a Giver in the workplace, not a Taker

It may seem smart to focus on yourself at work to get a raise or a promotion or just plain recognition, but one of your best chances at getting ahead could be by helping the people around you to succeed instead.

There is a great book that describes how taking a more selfless approach can end up benefiting the “giver” many times over.  In Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success, Adam Grant describes three personality types:

• Givers: Give without expecting anything in return.

• Matchers: Give but expect something in return.

• Takers:  Do exactly what their name suggests.

Guess who are the good guys?  The Givers.  Guess who are the success stories?  Yup, the Givers!   And the Takers are not just the bad guys, but as the book explains, in this hyper-connected world they end up losing as they will be revealed for what they are, “users.”

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