Reb Rebele

In today’s competitive world, we are on a constant quest to get ahead. As individuals, we keep an eye out for any edge that will help us land a coveted job or promotion. As organizations, we can be so protective of our trade secrets and competitive advantages that we sometimes hide them even from our own employees. But what if the things that drive success are not those that set us apart, but those that bring us together? A growing body of research shows that how we interact with others, whether colleagues and clients or family and friends, has a huge impact on what we are able to achieve. And to borrow from John F. Kennedy, the key is not in what others can do for us, but in what we can do for them. This talk shows that our instincts for self-preservation are (mostly) misplaced and explains why givers rise to the top in many workplaces and industries. But it also cautions that the road to doing good and doing well is not always smooth, as sometimes our desire to help can backfire. To become sustainably and productively generous, individuals need to learn how to become more helpful and organizations need to create cultures and systems to support meaningful collaboration.