Takers are self-centred, cunning to the core. Their entire focus is on how to take things, benefits form others. Takers put their own interests ahead of others’ needs. They try to gain as much as possible from their interactions while contributing as little as they can in return.

Matchers like to preserve an equal balance of giving and taking. Their mindset is: “If you take from me, I’ll take from you. If you give to me, I’ll give to you.”

Givers provide support to others with no strings attached. They are ready to help others and contribute to others wellness. Givers give because they consider welfare of others.  

Azim Premji of Wipro has mentored many successful business leaders and supported many social entrepreneurs through his investments and guidance. Premji has also set an example for corporate citizenship and philanthropy in India and beyond. He has shown that business success and social good can go hand in hand. In 2001, the Azim Premji Foundation was established, a non-profit organisation that aims to work towards improving the quality of education in India. Over the years, Azim Premji has donated large portions of his wealth to the Foundation. Azim Premji is a Giver.

Adam M. Grant is an American popular science author, and professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania specializing in organizational psychology. His book ‘Give and Take’ talks about a revolutionary approach to success, Adam Grant categorizes people into three types: givers, matchers, and takers. According to Grant the same definition mentioned above; givers proactively help others, matchers have a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” manner, and takers are the suck ups and backstabbers of the world.

The world would be a wonderful place if we would have a healthy surplus of givers. Grant writes about the advantages of adopting a giving approach in the workplace, and many of his suggestions and anecdotes can be applied to the library science field.

One does not automatically relate giving with success. Yet, giving can lead to greater success for oneself and others. According to Grant, extensive research reveals that people who give their time and knowledge regularly to help their colleagues earn more raises and promotions in a wide range of settings. Grant often appeals the symbol of a pie throughout the book: Givers increase the size of the pie and, therefore, can cut generous slices all around.

Ratan Tata is regarded as a successful industrialist of India; he is also well-acknowledged for his philanthropic contributions. There isn’t a single person in India who is not acquainted with his unique individuality, and many entrepreneurs not only draw inspirations from him but also look up to him as an example. Ratan Tata is also a Giver.

Givers are more successful as leaders because they help others around them grow. Leaders who give naturally see abundance and potential in those around them. They offer support and share knowledge generously.

Like Adam Grant, Jim Collins also speaks about successful leadership who are givers. Collins is an American researcher, author, speaker, and consultant focused on business management and company sustainability and growth. His model, Level Five Leadership represents a unique combination of executive capabilities, something that allows them to ensure their organizations become the best. Level one is the foundation position; at this level a leader relies on rules, regulations for taking any decision. Level two is called permission where the leader learns to function on the permission level; they merely comply with orders. At level three which is called production, either the leader is producing results for the organization and adding to its profits or is failing to do so. Many people never move up from Level 2 Permission to Level 3 Production. Why? They are incapable to produce results. When that is the case, it’s usually because they lack the self-discipline, they procrastinate, and they lack skills or not productive.

You find good leaders at Level 4 which is called ‘people development’.  At this level leaders invest their time, energy, focus and assessment into developing others around them as leaders. This can be a difficult shift for highly productive leaders who are often misunderstood because nobody likes to change, and constantly work, nobody likes putting in more hours. Developing others to become leaders requires lot of patience and courage.

It is rare to reach Level 5 which is called ‘Pinnacle’.  Pinnacle leadership focuses on building trust and respect, and challenging individuals to reach their highest potential. It focuses on building relationships, encouraging self-awareness, developing communication and problem-solving skills, and inspiring others to take ownership of their work. The individuals who reach Level 5 lead so very well constantly because of which they create a legacy in the organization they serve.

A legacy is the symbol of leaders who attempt to lead with a calling to a life-giving mission. Self-sacrifice and deep levels of service to others are necessary. They make the essential decisions, hire, and support the right people, guide daily efforts, and leave the organization or effort better off than when they assumed leadership responsibilities.

Narayan Murthy of Infosys is compassionate capitalist, management visionary, and dedicated moralist, Narayana Murthy placed India squarely on the global map of India’s IT dominance. He has been listed among the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time by Fortune magazine. He has been described as the “father of the Indian IT sector” by Time magazine and CNBC for his contribution to outsourcing in India. He is an example of Pinnacle leadership. 

Grant notes that most people are matchers, and matchers are people who want to see givers rise to the top and takers fail and get to desert. Today the business world, political world, NGOs, educational world, healthcare, agriculture, commerce, legal world every sphere of life requires GIVERS. Try to become a giver whichever walk of life you serve.

Ethics and morality are foundations of human society. Individuals, government, and organizations make decisions in line with the interests and values of the society. Ethics and morality set up path for excellence and they limit wrong doing in society in a world which is in true sense interdependent. Societies, nations and people must necessarily follow ethical behaviour. Ethics refer to rules provided by an external source, e.g., codes of conduct made by government, organizations, school and college etc. whereas morals refer to an individual’s own principles regarding right and wrong.

For example, nuclear ethics is a cross-disciplinary field of academic and policy-relevant study in which the problems associated with nuclear warfare, nuclear deterrence, nuclear arms control, nuclear disarmament, or nuclear energy are examined through one or more ethical or moral theories or frameworks. It is moral duty of every nation to safeguard their nuclear arsenal and fissile material from the reach of terrorists for the security and safety of others as well as their own, because they are responsible for climate change, destruction of mankind and ecology of planet.

Another example for moral behaviours: If we want to save our planet from the worst effect of climate change, we need to get our greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2070: a target that requires immediate and drastic action, but, our indestructible addiction to fossil fuels makes this goal seem more and more unreachable. Can we make some stringent laws to drastically reduce the usage of fissile fuels? This is a moral issue. Moral reasoning is a thinking process with the objective of determining whether an idea is right or wrong. To know whether something is “right” or “wrong” one must first know what that something is intended to accomplish.

David Hume (April 1711 –  August 1776)  was a  Scottish Philosopher, historian, economist and author, who is best known even today for his highly significant system of philosophical empiricism, scepticism and naturalism. David Hume worked very hard to create a total naturalistic science of man that examined the psychological basis of human nature against philosophical rationalism. Hume believed that passion rather than reason governs human behaviour. He said that genuine knowledge must either be directly traceable to objects perceived in experience, or result from abstract reasoning.  There is a relationship between ideas which are derived from experience, he called the rest “nothing but literalism and illusion”, a dichotomy (a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different) which later was given the name of Hume’s Fork.

Hume’s fork shows us that we can have only two forms of lawful knowledge; relations of ideas and matters of facts. Matters of fact are source of substantive knowledge, facts that can tell us something new about the world. Knowledge in matters of fact is also a subsequent knowledge that is gained after experience and synthetic knowledge is something new about the world.

Our feelings or sentiments produce our actions, so much so that present actions resemble the past actions. We therefore can conclude that human actions depend on their beliefs which are in customary associations with human feelings. Clearly, rationality has no place in the account of morality. Being rational means acting wisely and efficiently to choose the appropriate means to advance one’s goals. Even though reasoning depends upon ideas and matters of fact, its most dramatic outcomes may come of out of feelings. All human actions flow naturally from human feelings, without any interference from human reason.

In major parts of the world, caste hierarchy is one of the oldest forms of social stratification. Deep down, the biggest features of casts is its ability to render a rigid and invasive hierarchical system of inclusion and exclusion. Whether it is India or America, people have not been able to get rid of the caste system. The caste system is based on deep feelings of people with an outcome of prejudice, stereotyping and pigeonhole mentality. Our emotional and intellectual mechanisms work together and sustain each other. Sometimes they cannot be separated at all. Rationality and empiricism (knowledge is based on experience) do not go hand in hand. Only ideas cannot be used to prove matters of fact; like it is pointless to prove existence of God.

We are experiencing progress in society because of some good institutions that have contributed to the quality of human life, scientific research, development in arts art, and education. Progressive businesses have given a lot to society because they have broken down myriad centuries-old barriers of racial, sexual, religious, and ethnic prejudice. And they have been the vehicle for countless numbers of individuals to develop their fullest potentials in achieving their dreams.  In short, some business organizations have been prime movers in making it possible for millions to pursue their lives in a wealthy, healthy, rational and exciting world. Good organization is built upon ethical business practices.

Corporate Governance which is offshoot of Business Ethics is based on the foundation that companies should engage in fair dealing with all of their stakeholders who are customers, employees, suppliers, and communities, as well as shareholders. Companies must engage in accordance with the expectations of the larger society in which they operate. An organization exists on its purpose in society. And an organization which exists on a shareholder-centric model also recognizes that it owes a lot to society, therefore, must minimize its negative externalities such as pollution and destruction of ecology.

And finally, for all individuals and organizations integrity is a choice, which depends to a large extent on culture, upbringing, peer influences, etc. it can’t be forced.  One who has strong and well-defined standards of integrity behaves with wholeness, integration, honesty, and does right by him and by others.

We see countless professionals giving up their integrity and morals for the sake of money and money is a big addiction. Wealthy people get imprisoned into their lifestyle and their need to impress the world.  It’s sad that people forget to create their legacy.

What is your legacy? It’s what you will be able to say about yourself when you’re old and look back at life. It’s about what you have stood for, given to the society, taught, imparted, and left behind. It’s not what you dreamed of being, but what you have been.  It’s not a dress rehearsal, but the reality of what you have left behind. Many professionals forget that they have this one chance to build a life that’s meaningful for them.  It’s sad that people compromise their legacy for a futile greed to grasp success, money, accolades and power.