I am this huge fan of Adam Grant, the author of “Give & Take” and “Option B” that he co-wrote with Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook.

By Steve Moran

I am this huge fan of Adam Grant, the author of “Give & Take”, and “Option B” that he co-wrote with Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook. In Give & Take he floats this idea of doing Five- Minute Favors. Here are some examples he has talked about:

  1. Use a product and offer concise, vivid, and helpful feedback

  2. Introduce two people with a well-written email, citing a mutual interest

  3. Read a summary and offer crisp and concrete feedback

  4. Serve as a relevant reference for a person, product, or service

  5. Share, comment, or retweet something on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google+ or other social places

  6. Write a short, specific, and laudatory note to recognize or recommend someone on LinkedIn, Yelp, or other social media

It is a concept he talks to his students at Wharton about and they describe embracing the practice of 5-minute favors as life-changing; that it, challenges their assumption that they must choose between helping others and their own success.

It is the kind of thing that costs you essentially nothing and can radically change a person’s life. I know that Adam practices what he preaches. I recently sent him an email asking for what was a 5-minute favor and in no more than 10 minutes he responded to my request. The fruit of that is an amazing interview on women in the workplace.  

The Selfish Reason

The altruistic reasons to grant 5-minute favors should be enough to do them, but in case it is not, here are some selfish reasons for engaging:

  1. It will make you a happier person

  2. It will make you more successful . . . yep, there is real data that says this is so

  3. It will give you a better reputation

  4. It will create better relationships

The Senior Living Giving Ring

One of the biggest problems with embracing 5-minute favors is finding a way to grant them or for that matter, ways to ask for them. I was super excited when I discovered that Adam and some partners developed a platform making it is insanely easy to ask for and give favors. After plugging in for a few weeks, I realized this would be perfect for the senior living space.

I reached out, got a demo of the platform and committed to pay for the first year of hosting a giving ring for the senior living sector. I am hoping you will join the cause. There is no cost and will not be a cost. It is open to anyone in or connected to senior living. You can spend 5 minutes a day or 5 minutes a week and make a real difference.

Still Need Convincing?

We are making available 5 signed copies of Give & Take that we will randomly give away to those people who have:

  1. Completed the very simple sign-up process

  2. Posted a request

Here is the link:  https://go.giveandtakeinc.com/givitas-for-senior-housing-forum

You will change someone’s life and your own as well.