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The cover of Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

Adam Grant, 2013

See how givers, takers and matchers fare differently at work, and why the right kind of giving builds the trust and networks that drive lasting success.

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10 parts, about 30 minutes to read.

Why read it

  • Sorts people into givers, takers and matchers and shows givers land at both the bottom and the top of the success ladder
  • Explains how otherish givers avoid burnout and the doormat effect by caring about their own goals and negotiating as advocates for others
  • Shows how five minute favors, dormant contacts and modest speech build influence without cutting others down

Who it is for

  • Professionals who give a lot and wonder if it costs them
  • Team leaders deciding whom to trust and promote
  • Salespeople and networkers who would rather ask than pitch

What the summary covers

  1. Givers, Takers, and Matchers5 min
  2. How Givers and Takers Build Networks3 min
  3. Collaboration and the Question of Credit3 min
  4. Spotting Potential Before It Shows3 min
  5. The Influence of Modesty3 min
  6. Avoiding Burnout: The Otherish Giver3 min
  7. Avoiding the Doormat Effect3 min
  8. Turning Groups Toward Giving4 min
  9. Success That Spreads2 min
  10. Putting It Into Practice1 min

Recommended by

  • Robert SuttonAuthor of The No *sshole Rule and Good Boss, Bad Boss
    Give and Take just might be the most important book of this young century. As insightful and entertaining as Malcolm Gladwell at his best, this book has profound implications for how we manage our careers, deal with our friends and relatives, raise our children, and design our institutions.
  • Daniel H. PinkAuthor of Drive and A Whole New Mind
    Give and Take is a truly exhilarating book—the rare work that will shatter your assumptions about how the world works and keep your brain firing for weeks after you’ve turned the last page.
  • Susan CainAuthor of Quiet
    Give and Take is brimming with life-changing insights. As brilliant as it is wise, this is not just a book—it’s a new and shining worldview.
  • Seth GodinBestselling author of The Icarus Deception and Tribes
    A milestone! Well-researched, generous, actionable and important. Adam Grant has given us a gift, a hard-hitting book about the efficacy of connection and generosity in everything we do.
  • Martin SeligmanAuthor of Learned Optimism and Flourish
    Adam Grant, a rising star of positive psychology, seamlessly weaves together science and stories of business success and failure, convincing us that giving is in the long run the recipe for success in the corporate world.
  • Daniel GilbertAuthor of Stumbling on Happiness
    Good guys finish first—and Adam Grant knows why. Give and Take is the smart surprise you can’t afford to miss.

About the author

  • Adam GrantProfessor of organizational psychology at the Wharton School and popular science author
    • Born 13 August 1981 in West Bloomfield, Michigan
    • Harvard BA; Michigan MS and PhD in organizational psychology
    • Hired at Wharton in 2009, the school's youngest tenured professor at 28
    • Former Junior Olympic springboard diver and magician
    • Wharton's top rated professor seven years running; hosts the Re:Thinking podcast
    • 2011 APA early career award

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