Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

Some good stuff in here with the givers-matchers-takers paradigm, but the later chapters are less well-evidenced and coherent. Also sometimes gives the impression of cherry-picking studies/relying on spurious correlations. Would be interested to know exactly how well the data supports the narrative

As entrepreneurs, what kind of people do you think do best in business – the Givers, the Takers or the Matchers? Adam Grant has an answer to that question, and it’s one he’s qualified to give. He’s the youngest tenured professor at the Wharton Business School, USA. Most people, he says, expect that Takers will finish first. But the research he’s done has found an answer that will surprise you. Givers finish last, but Takers don’t finish first. While some Givers do finish last, other Givers come out on top. Takers and matchers settle in the middle. “Otherish Givers” – those who nurture themselves – are the ones that win. Grant presents his argument well. He’s taken care to ground his opinion in scientific research and he uses case studies to bring his points to life. But what makes this book of greatest value to an entrepreneur is that it’s practical. Grant reveals the mistakes Selfless Givers make that see them finish last, and explains why Otherish Givers win. At the end of the book there’s a section, “Actions for impact”. Read this to be convinced of the need to become an Otherish Giver – and find a roadmap to get you there.

I can't say enough about how cool this book is. One extension I would like to see though is with studies on people from more geographies..