Be a Giver… the rest will follow
Adam Grant, a Professor at Wharton, has written a book “Give & Take – A Revolutionary Approach to Success”, which gives some great insights into the behaviour of people.
It classifies people into 3 categories in the world –
- – Givers
- – Takers
- – Matchers
His studies has shown that a majority of the people are “Matchers” who try to balance giving & taking. A few are Givers and a few are only Takers. I am sure you can relate to people in your family, office and in your community, who will fit into these 3 categories.
You can read more about it here
My personal thoughts differ a bit on this.
I have seen, time and again, that the satisfaction one gets by “giving” rarely comes in the “taking”. In today’s world, it is imperative that one learns to “Give” more than they “Take”. In almost every instance, in my personal life, I have seen that things always work out & people who I have had the opportunity to help/ support, always support me when required.
Rather than trying to “Balance” what you give vs. what you take, make it a WIN-WIN equation always- and do things that will help the other person- and there is always a payback to you in some manner.
And unlike Dr. Grant’s perspective, I don’t think I have done too badly from a career perspective.
In your professional life, remember-
This is one book that I have seen in book shelves in Airports, and other places over the years. It took me almost 17 years since I saw this book and I never bought this. Why? 
Another great presentation that articulates the Steps to building a great brand. I personally liked the following principles. This is done by Robert Earl Reed. 