There is a phrase you may have heard – “Givers Gain” – it is the philosophy of a well-known global business networking organisation (and yes I am a member) – and for a very good reason.
It’s a great way to live your life – both your personal life and your business life.
We live in times where the world seems to be divided in two groups – those who care about others, and those who just want to look after themselves. And where business is concerned, TV programmes like The Apprentice tend to reinforce the myth that it’s a dog eat dog world in business – one of the (many) reasons I detest it and don’t watch it.
I am here to make the case for giving to others – not because you expect any return (although it’s amazing how givers DO gain) but because being kind has positive effects on your brain – and others around you, (but I will also talk about the gainy bit too!)
Being kind releases all the “good” chemicals in your brain. Neurotransmitters such as serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine – and the parts of the brain associated with pleasure and reward (the nucleus accumbens) are also activated so we are motivated to repeat the action to receive the reward.
It makes sense really – we should really WANT to be kind and helpful to help our tribe survive – so we have evolved to make that worth our while. Looking after our tribe has helped us all to survive thus far – and there is evidence of it in the animal world as well – making sure that the weaker and more vulnerable members of the herd get some protection from predators.
The issue now of course is – who’s in your tribe? And there are people who now make it their business to point out the “otherness” of others – and therefore encourage people to become insular and xenophobic. However, I am not here to be political – as far as I am concerned everyone is part of my “tribe”.
The phrase “it’s nice to be nice” is therefore true as we have seen – and doing nice things for people (even people we may not really like!) will give us the rewards we seek.
But here’s the thing – it has to be repeated! The effects are very short-lived – so you have to keep on being kind and helpful to continue to feel the rewards.
Giving in Business
So how can we be kind in a business setting?
We can help others in our network. We can provide support and assistance to those starting out. We can provide some of our expertise free of charge.
One of the ways to build a following (oh we are getting into the gainy bit now!) is to offer free content – free downloads, free videos, free webinars. And I have found those to be very effective for getting new followers, building email lists and so on. It is good to offer something in order to encourage people to give up their email address.
It is something I do recommend to clients – to have material ready that they can give away – maybe on their website in exchange for that elusive email address, or in response to a contact form or email asking for advice.
There can be a benefit to this approach – rather than taking a lot of time to answer a question, simply send out the document that explains the answer (maybe in broader terms) – and it can be useful for deflecting some of those tyre kickers too!
So – Givers Gain – yes, giving in and of itself will bring all the effects that I mentioned before in terms of stimulating the reward centres in our brain. But it is also the case that when you give to someone they will in general want to give back – in some way. (and yes – I know that there are some people who will “take” forever and never give back – but let’s give most people the benefit of the doubt).
As we give – in general – people will want to reciprocate. So if we give out free information or training (maybe not your best secret sauce) then people will feel moved to spend money to GET the secret sauce!
A rule I was once told was – give them the WHY and the WHAT but leave out the HOW – so that if people want assistance at that level they will come back to you.
It will work with your network too. If you help people in your network – maybe by sharing their posts on LinkedIn – then they will do the same or you – and we all benefit.
It is interesting that the algorithms reward sharing too!
So – here we are – and all you lovely people are in my network – so I am asking – how can I help YOU!?
With an introduction – with a chat on the phone – by sharing your next event?
Giving really is what makes the world go around – so find ways you can give too – and then – you will receive!
What can you do ? How can you give?
What can I do to help you now?
Get in touch with me if you’d like to ask me to help you.