Book 17 - A Year of Magical Learning

Book 17 - A Year of Magical Learning

Updated: Oct 12, 2021

Reflection Title - Begin Each New Relationship with Belief! Book Title - Give and Take by Adam Grant Book Description: Give And Take explains the three different types of how we interact with others (Givers, Takers, and Matchers) and shows you why being a giver is, contrary to popular belief, the best way to success in business and life. Reflection - Adam Grant is another of my favorite authors, thinkers, and general all around people in this world. He is endlessly curious, imaginative, asks brilliant questions, and seems to be on a mission to bring those same values out in others he touches. While I had been listening to Adam's Work Life Podcast for years already, Give and Take was his first book that I decided to read and I'm glad that I did. Give and Take helped me to see the incredible raw power that giving can bring when applied in everyday life. Adam goes through a ton of different stories that demonstrate the power of giving throughout the book. One of the stories that struck me as I read it and has stuck with me was that of a professor of accounting at University of North Carolina. His students regularly achieve some of the best scores in the state on the CPA exam each year. Adam interviewed some of his students to figure out why? Turns out, his big secret is simple. The professor's default stance and baseline is the unshakable belief that everyone single one of his students was capable of becoming a great accountant. No matter their background or past performance, he began their relationship with this mindset and maintained belief and encouragement with each and every one of his students throughout their time together. That act of genuine belief allows him to invest in his students with all of his heart and give as much as he can. That belief is then reflected back from his students as their confidence grows and they inevitably become a self fulfilling prophecy with their exam scores. This story made me think, what if we just gave encouragement and belief in others as a default? I'm reminded of my own time as a leader where I was given a team of "cast offs" from the other managers to start my team. These were people that their previous bosses had lost belief in for one reason or another. As I started my relationship with them, I told them the past is the past and we can be great together. I met with each of them and talked about how excited I was to work with them and highlighted their strengths. They could tell I believed in them, they believed in me, and we got to work together. Within no time, this "rag tag" group was challenging for the best team in the department month in and month out. The other managers didn't understand. How could my team of cast off's be doing so well...it doesn't make sense? It wasn't magic, it was they finally had someone that believed in them and told them that. I loved my team and I still believe in them to this day even though it has been years since we were together in a work capacity. That wouldn't have been possible if we all didn't start from a place of belief. We could truly achieve unbelievable things together, build lifelong relationships, and just have fun if we started each relationship with belief. All people need is a little belief and encouragement from the people they surround themselves with and the sky is the limit.

Question - What is your default mode when you first begin a relationship (Giver, Taker, or Matcher)?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? - An Introduction YOML Podcast Discussion - Give and Take

YOML Bookstore - Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant