1. Takers- every interaction is about getting something from others, they seek all the credit
  2. Givers- philanthropists, share knowledge freely, but usually give only to those closest to them
  3. Matchers- give and take, live quid pro quo
  • Some “takers” are people that got burned by being a “giver”
  • The Givers get the least amount done- lowest grades in medical schools were givers
  • Many givers don’t secure their own oxygen masks before helping others
  • Takers rise quickly but fall quickly too in organizations, matchers are the best performers in an organization
  • Matchers act like the karma police, gossip about the “taker” and help take down the takers
  • Takers take down other takers in an organization
  • Givers are on both extremes, the worst in an organization and are the best in the organization
  • When “givers” spend time solving other people’s problems, they are growing- they are also building social capital within the organization
  • The negative impact of a taker is 3x worse than one “giver” on your team
  • The key is weeding out the takers- this is more important than hiring more givers
  • Matchers can be influenced by Givers
  • Agreeable, Disagreeable, Giver, Taker… pay attention to Disagreeable Givers (they ask tough questions, maybe a bad User Interface but a great Operating System)… Watch out for Agreeable Takers
  • Agreeable takers… weed them out… look for future behavior.. Interview question, what % of people take more than $10 from an organization a month… People tend to answer about themselves when they are asked about others and how they would act.
  • Givers use much more “me’s” than others in the context of failure.
  • The best way to spot a taker is to look forward to their future…ask them about their future
  • Most people project their own motivations onto other
  • Do more 5 minute favors as a giver, you don’t have to spend 19 hours in every act of kindness- about 100 hours a year of giving is about the right amount and balance to ask of people
  • Encourage asking for help
  • The Reciprocity Ring- an exercise to encouraging people to “ask”, people feel more comfortable when they know everyone else is asking for help
  • Create a world of more givers