Greetings Golfers,

Have you heard of Adam Grant’s book “Give and Take”? The concept is that you will be more successful in the business world if you give more than you take.

It’s not really that simple – you need to give what you care about … not just random giving. And you have to do it from the heart – not just act like you’re giving.

Grant says that there are 3 types of people: Takers, Matchers, and Givers. All 3 types can be successful … but the Givers seem to be the most successful – especially in the long run.

This is very interesting, and for some people counter-intuitive. I think for short-term thinking people, this concept is mind-blowing. But the author – Adam Grant – is not just some New Age guru … he’s a big time professor at the Wharton School of business. (Ironically, Donald Trump went to the Wharton School … a long time ago).

I think one of the main reasons that Givers do well is that people trust them. Trust is way underrated in business schools. The book also talks about the importance of networking and relationships. I agree. But networking and relationships only work if based on trust.

Is being a Giver a Spiritual concept? I think so. Is that separate from business? Hardly. You know that saying “It’s not personal – it’s business?” That always drove me nuts. You can’t separate your business life from your personal life unless you’re a psychopath. People who view business as a license to be a-holes are shockingly mis-guided … their god is money … thus the ends justify the means. With their ill-gotten money, now they need to try to do “good deeds” to justify their nasty behavior.

I’m glad to see a big-time business school professor advocate and prove the success of being a good person. Hopefully this will blow-up other concepts such as managing by fear – another short-term concept.

America has some serious financial problems. I believe the only way to solve these problems is to start doing things right. We got in this mess by selfish, short-term thinking – a pretty immature attitude. It’s time to grow up.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com