Are you a giver or a taker?

Richard Branson

There’s a common belief that we need to be selfish (in other words, takers) to be successful. That those who give more than they receive (in other words, givers) won’t accomplish what it is they set out to achieve. This way of thinking is particularly apparent in the business world; where some entrepreneurs are considered to be among the most self-serving people on the planet. But it’s not an idea that I’ve ever subscribed to. I’ve always felt that when we focus on helping others, we benefit too. 

“We have a huge body of evidence – many, many studies looking at the frequency of giving behaviour that exists in a team or an organisation – and the more often people are helping and sharing their knowledge and providing mentoring, the better organisations do on every metric we can measure: higher profits, customer satisfaction, employee retention – even lower operating expenses,” says Adam.

This is a useful lesson not just for the business world, but for non-profit organisations, schools and governments. Leaders everywhere should be building cultures that promote generosity, and creating environments where help-seeking is not only encouraged, but considered the norm. 

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Image from Virgin.com

Richard Branson and Australian team members at the Virgin Way Co-Lab

Image by Eventive Photography

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Image by Virgin.com