Didn’t we already know this?

Doesn’t it feel like everything is changing in our world today!  I was raised in and live in a home with the Golden Rule as a central theme:  Treat others as you’d like to be treated.

Often it feels like the golden rule isn’t so golden anymore.  You’ve got to watch out for number one.  If you don’t watch out for yourself who will, right?

An interesting book called Give and Take by Adam  Grant is shedding some research light on the old topic of the Golden Rule.  Oh, he doesn’t call it the golden rule, but that is what I am calling it!

In his research he looks at three types of people..

 

1. The giver – a person who really cares more about the folks around him/her more than them self.  A golden rule believer.
2. The taker- a person who believes that the golden is out dated and makes sure their interests are the top priority.
3. The matcher- a person who acts mostly on quid-pro-qua.  The matcher will treat you nice if you treat them nice.  They keep a mental accounting of who owes them or who they owe.

Well at first it looks like the givers are the losers and the takers and the matchers get the better jobs, make more money, have more friends and get things done more successfully.

Yes, in the short term the givers look like losers, but in the long term givers are documented to be the big winners.  They spent the upfront time helping others instead of positioning them self.  Later, givers have this bank of goodwill that everyone values and when they need a team or a hand up to accomplish a goal everyone wants to work with them!  Watch out though, some takers disguise themselves as givers!  Of course we all do some of each type in different times of our lives.

Isn’t it great when some things like the Golden Rule still matter?   Being a giver means generosity is a part of you and you don’t do good things to get back!  Givers are givers by nature!

I’m not through the whole book yet, but I wanted to share that Give and Take is an interesting read!  Adam uses some interesting stories to keep your interest.

Please leave a comment or let us know what you think about this interesting research!  Feel free to share with a friend!