When You Get - Give When You Learn - Teach

Dr. Maya Angelou said ‘When you get, give.  When you learn, teach.’ This was a lesson she learned from her grandmother and it touches my heart because it encourages us to be generous and to look beyond ourselves.  It is similar to one of my favourite social laws; the Law of Reciprocity which is our natural inclination to give when we have received and it also reflects Luke 6:38 ‘Give, and you will receive…’.  These principles do not suggest that we give to receive, or have it paid forward but instead illuminate our human tendency to want to give back or forward in response to having received. 

So how these principals apply in the workplace?  People are a business’s greatest asset and its most underutilised resource whether they be our employees or our customers or even our suppliers and business partners.  When we demonstrate a culture of generosity and support, we promote business development, growth, and sustainability. 

So, let us look at a couple of ways we can apply these principles in business:

Knowledge and Advice - We all have knowledge and advice to share with others: - Employers can provide a new hire comprehensive training in their new position, including a buddy who can share the daily intricacies of the business.  - An employee can share with a co-worker a time saving hack they have discovered, or a restaurant server might suggest a great wine pairing to a customer.  A supplier or business partner may have a tip for a new piece of equipment and an accountant may provide a template to help better track a business function and customers may be so pleased with your act of giving that they share their experience with others, e.g., ‘My accountant goes beyond just our financials they also share tools with us that help us streamline functions in the business.’ 

Time – Even though many of us are time-poor there is always some time that we can give to another.  For an employer this may be walking the factory floor chatting with workers about their weekend or learning about their family.  An employee may have an idea for their employer on how to streamline a business function to save time or they may take extra care with a customer who is struggling to make a purchasing decision.  A supplier may offer to spend some time with your sales team to brainstorm new market opportunities or a solicitor may hold a workshop so their clients can better understand a new piece of legislature and the next time your customer purchases with you they bring a friend to share the experience.

Time and again humanity demonstrates acts of giving, kindness and sharing and whilst these are heart-warming acts, they are also sound business principles and practices we can adopt, encourage, and apply in the workplace to nurture development, growth and sustainability.