Give and Take
Why Helping Others Drives Our Success
by Adam Grant
Recommended by 12 notable people, including Derek Sivers and Seth Godin
Check price on AmazonRecommended by public sources
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Reading Profile
Should I read this?
A research-heavy exploration of how reciprocity styles—givers, takers, and matchers—shape professional success. Grant uses stories from business, sports, and entertainment to argue that selfless givers can rise to the top if they avoid burnout and exploitation. The book is densely packed with studies, which makes it convincing but sometimes overwhelming. Useful for understanding networking through a generous lens, though the sheer volume of examples may feel like a barrage. Annoying if you want fewer anecdotes and more actionable steps.
Read this if...
- •A mid-level manager in a competitive firm who feels drained by office politics and wants a collaborative approach to advancing, backed by many workplace studies and real success stories.
- •A recent graduate entering a relationship-driven industry, looking for a framework to build a reputation as someone who helps others while still protecting their own time.
- •An entrepreneur who wants to create a generous company culture but worries about being exploited, seeking concrete strategies to set boundaries without becoming a doormat.
Skip this if...
- •You’ll likely put it down when the endless parade of study citations starts to feel like a literature review rather than a practical guide.
- •Annoying if you prefer direct, concise advice—Grant repeats his core idea across many similar examples, making the book feel padded.
- •Not for those who see success as a zero-sum game; if you believe kindness is a weakness, the premise will feel naive and the evidence won’t change your mind.
The New York Times bestseller 'Brimming with life-changing insights' Susan Cain, author of Quiet 'Excellent' Financial Times Everybody knows that hard work, luck and talent each plays a role in our working lives. In his landmark book, Adam Grant illuminates the importance of a fourth, increasingly critical factor - that the best way to get to the top is to focus on bringing others with you. Give and Take changes our fundamental understanding of why we succeed, offering a new model for our relationships with colleagues, clients and competitors. Using his own cutting-edge research as a professor at Wharton Business School, as well as success stories from Hollywood to history, Grant shows that…
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:hard
Length:373 pages (Medium)
Audience Fit
- A mid-level manager in a competitive firm who feels drained by office politics and wants a collaborative approach to advancing, backed by many workplace studies and real success stories.
- A recent graduate entering a relationship-driven industry, looking for a framework to build a reputation as someone who helps others while still protecting their own time.
- An entrepreneur who wants to create a generous company culture but worries about being exploited, seeking concrete strategies to set boundaries without becoming a doormat.
- You’ll likely put it down when the endless parade of study citations starts to feel like a literature review rather than a practical guide.
- Annoying if you prefer direct, concise advice—Grant repeats his core idea across many similar examples, making the book feel padded.
- Not for those who see success as a zero-sum game; if you believe kindness is a weakness, the premise will feel naive and the evidence won’t change your mind.
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
View available editions on AmazonKey themes
Why recommended
Recommended by 34 sources and appears in Business Development, Marketing, and Best Leadership Books.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Ready to read Give and Take?
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Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. Recommended by 8 sources.
“Soft-spoken, heavily illustrated fable built from short dialogues and watercolor sketches. Each spread pairs a spare line of text with a loose drawing, so the pleasure is visual and aphoristic rather than narrative; readers collect felt-true sentences more than plot. Most useful when you want quick consolations, a prompt for conversation with a child, or a pause during a rough day. Limiting if you want sustained argument, concrete advice, or tightly plotted storytelling: the repetition of gentleness can feel sentimental or thin after a while.”
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How recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.