Plant Seeds, don't pick fruit.

Tabula 3

On February 18, 2016 I started Adam Grant’s book Give and Take. On February 20, 2016 I finished it.

The premise of the book was that people who strategically give (give credit, give feedback, give connections) tend to be more successful in infinite games (such as life). This is because giving (when not done to the point of exhaustion) can be both reenergizing and important in creating impact beyond oneself. Moreover the good will or karma created is often hard to quantify, but pays off in unexpected ways.

To empower others is to be fully comfortable in oneself. To exponentially scale your impact, you must not only create, but also make room for others to finish. To reap the largest harvest, you should not pick every piece of fruit off the tree: instead you should empower others to pick fruit and use your limited time to strategically plant seeds. That is how to create a legacy that lives beyond you.

On July 12, 2017 I shared this message at Bank of America’s annual student leader summit for high school students across the country interested in public service. After speaking, one student asked me a question: what if you can’t find people to pick fruit for you?

My answer: create a basket.

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