“Powerless communication had made all the difference. Instead of working to establish my credentials, I made myself vulnerable, and called out the… — Adam M. Grant Communication Copy Share Image
“The Reciprocity Ring created a context that encouraged takers to act like givers, and the key lies in making giving public. Takers… — Adam M. Grant Givers Copy Share Image
“responsibility bias is a major source of failed collaborations. Professional relationships disintegrate when entrepreneurs, inventors, investors, and executives feel that their partners… — Adam M. Grant Bias Copy Share Image
“Many times, you can have bigger impact if you know what to ask, rather than knowing what to say. I don’t learn… — Adam M. Grant Time Copy Share Image
“According to management professors Daniel Levin, Jorge Walter, and Keith Murnighan, “adults accumulate thousands of relationships over their lifetimes, but, prior to… — Adam M. Grant Adults Copy Share Image
“Unbridled optimism comes across as salesmanship; it seems dishonest somehow, and as a consequence it’s met with skepticism. Everyone is allergic to… — Adam M. Grant Hope Copy Share Image
“by encouraging us to expect the worst in others it brings out the worst in us: dreading the role of the chump,… — Adam M. Grant Copy Share Image
“We become matchers, striving to preserve an equal balance of giving and getting. Matchers operate on the principle of fairness: when they… — Adam M. Grant Equality Copy Share Image
“Givers tend to use more powerless speech, talking with tentative markers like these: • Hesitations: “well,” “um,” “uh,” “you know” • Hedges:… — Adam M. Grant Bad idea Copy Share Image
“If creative procrastination, selectively applied, prevented Leonardo from finishing a few commissions—of minor importance when one is struggling with the inner workings… — Adam M. Grant Artist Copy Share Image
“In three studies, gender expert Jennifer Berdahl found that sexual harassment isn’t primarily motivated by sexual desire: Women who meet feminine standards… — Adam M. Grant Beauty Copy Share Image
“Venting doesn’t extinguish the flame of anger; it feeds it. When we vent our anger, we put a lead foot on the… — Adam M. Grant Anger Copy Share Image
“The most effective negotiators were otherish: they reported high concern for their own interests and high concern for their counterparts’ interests. By… — Adam M. Grant Copy Share Image
“Some people, when they do someone a favor, are always looking for a chance to call it in. And some aren’t, but… — Adam M. Grant Copy Share Image
“This is the core challenge of speaking up with an original idea. When you present a new suggestion, you’re not only hearing… — Adam M. Grant Creativity Copy Share Image
“In a recent study comparing every Nobel Prize–winning scientist from 1901 to 2005 with typical scientists of the same era, both groups… — Adam M. Grant Education Copy Share Image
“By doing his best work for less coveted guests, Meyer was doing his colleagues a favor. Takers no longer felt that they… — Adam M. Grant Copy Share Image
“I asked Meyer what drew him to comedy, he said, “I love to make people laugh, entertain people, and try to make… — Adam M. Grant Comedy Copy Share Image
“Why didn’t Meyer have a better memory of his contributions? As a giver, his focus was on achieving a collective result that… — Adam M. Grant Personal responsibility Copy Share Image
“Whereas selfless givers make the mistake of trusting others all the time, otherish givers start out with trust as the default assumption,… — Adam M. Grant Failure Copy Share Image
“They feel the same fear, the same doubt, as the rest of us. What sets them apart is that they take action… — Adam M. Grant Copy Share Image
“The more you give, the more you want to do it—as do others around you. It's like going to the gym. If… — Adam M. Grant Inspirational Copy Share Image
“Start the spark of reciprocity by making requests as well as helping others. Help generously and without thought of return; but also… — Adam M. Grant Helping others Copy Share Image
“The more successful people have been in the past, the worse they perform when they enter a new environment.40 They become overconfident,… — Adam M. Grant Overconfident Copy Share Image
“When takers win, there’s usually someone else who loses. Research shows that people tend to envy successful takers and look for ways… — Adam M. Grant Football Copy Share Image
“If you spend the money on yourself, your happiness doesn’t change. But if you spend the money on others, you actually report… — Adam M. Grant Happier Copy Share Image
“Oftentimes, we fail to identify with people because we’re thinking about ourselves—or them—in terms that are too specific and narrow. If we… — Adam M. Grant Commonalities Copy Share Image
“creative director was so open to Don Lane’s idea: Lane signaled that he wasn’t trying to threaten the director’s authority. It was… — Adam M. Grant Film Copy Share Image
“Since takers tend to be self-absorbed, they’re more likely to use first-person singular pronouns like I, me, mine, my, and myself—versus first-person… — Adam M. Grant Pronouns Copy Share Image
“The identification of talent may be the wrong place to start. For many years, psychologists believed that in any domain, success depended… — Adam M. Grant Motivation Copy Share Image
“The intelligent altruists, though less altruistic than the unintelligent altruists, will be fitter than both unintelligent altruists and selfish individuals. —Herbert Simon,… — Adam M. Grant Economics Copy Share Image
“While I gained a short-term benefit by taking, in the long run I paid. My relationship with a colleague was ruined, and… — Adam M. Grant Copy Share Image
“And in the long run, research shows that the mistakes we regret are not errors of commission, but errors of omission. If… — Adam M. Grant Failure Copy Share Image
“value the perspectives and interests of others, givers are more inclined toward asking questions than offering answers, talking tentatively than boldly, admitting… — Adam M. Grant Copy Share Image
“groupthink occurs when people “are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group,” and their “strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise… — Adam M. Grant Groupthink Copy Share Image
“As Bill Gates argued at the World Economic Forum, “there are two great forces of human nature: self-interest, and caring for others,”… — Adam M. Grant Caring for others Copy Share Image
“Whereas success is zero-sum in a group of takers, in groups of givers, it may be true that the whole is greater… — Adam M. Grant Givers Copy Share Image
“two different ways to recognize takers. First, when we have access to reputational information, we can see how people have treated others… — Adam M. Grant Communication Copy Share Image
“Takers tend to worry that revealing weaknesses will compromise their dominance and authority. Givers are much more comfortable expressing vulnerability: they’re interested… — Adam M. Grant Givers Copy Share Image
“George does not mince words; he’ll come right out and tell you if he thinks the joke you pitched is dumb, but… — Adam M. Grant Copy Share Image
