Give and Take by Adam Grant — Actions for Impact

I have never been a reader growing up. I have read very few books and whatever I learn about topics has been through the internet, videos etc. and that too only on a need basis. Whenever I tried to read books, it has been mostly philosophical books that are autobiographical in nature. I like fiction, patterns and insights in general.

Disclaimer: I am a very very very slow reader, and if I lose interest, I never end up finishing the book.

But having gone through a revelation year in 2020, I told myself, that 2021 will be different, and that I shall take every step to go outside my comfort zone. I call them ‘Experiments with Self’. Over the last 3–4 months, I have started to listening to podcasts on a daily basis.

In February 2021, the CEO of my company suggested I take a look at Adam Grant’s Give and Take. I have always been interested in Applied Psychology. But long story short, I ordered the book and started reading it making steady progress, and today I actually completed the book.

The book resonated with my basic principle since childhood about helping anyone around me or known to me(in book’s parlance, givers) but it threw more light on how to avoid burnout when giving(what it terms as ‘Otherish Givers’). It goes into depth about Reciprocity Styles(Givers, Takers and Matchers) and explains the various principles with tons of experimental data.

I don't intend to give a summary of the book but I do feel anyone looking to improve oneself at work or otherwise, anyone who is in a mid-senior level job position, will find it useful.

What I liked is the last 10 pages talked about practical digest of the principles discussed in the book. It is named ‘Actions for Impact and it is intended for those who are interested to apply the principles into practice. I shall list them here:

1. Test Your Giver Quotient
2. Run a Reciprocity Ring
3. Help Other People Craft Their Jobs — or Craft Yours to Incorporate More Giving
4. Start a Love Machine
5. Embrace the Five-Minute Favor
6. Practice Powerless Communication, but Become an Advocate
7. Join a Community of Givers
8. Launch a Personal Generosity Experiment
9. Help Fund a Project
10. Seek Help More Often

I have picked a few of them to experiment from the above list within my life, my job and the world around me.

Have you read the book?

If yes, did you experiment with any of the above? Any Learnings that you can share, please share in comments.

If not, you should consider giving it a try.