You’ve all met them (or maybe you are one of them); the person who tracks the room when talking with you instantly dropping the conversation if there’s nothing in it for them.

That attitude instantly classifies them as takers, where as those who bend over backwards to provide assistance are givers.

And in most people’s minds, the takers win and the givers lose

Simple and obvious, but neither as simple nor obvious as you might think according to new research by Wharton management professor Adam Grant.

Oftentimes givers put themselves at risk in the short run. But in the long run, they end up building the kind of social capital that’s really important for success in a very connected world.

I’m not going to summarize the interview, because it’s worth reading and watching—if for no other reason  than to learn about a third category called ‘matchers’, as well as how to be a smart giver.

I will suggest that you take time to take the test to learn which you really are, giver, taker or matcher, along with how others see you. (It’s free, but requires registration.)

Video credit: Knowledge@Wharton

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 17th, 2013 at 1:15 am and is filed under Culture, Personal Growth. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Tags: Knowledge @ Wharton, networking
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