The fundamental idea of ‘giving’ is nothing new to women (women give birth, produce life-giving milk, etc.) but ‘giving’ as a professional philosophy is a path far too often looked upon as sacrificial or inferior by its very nature. After all, for every giver there must necessarily be a taker.
Think about it: Companies don’t want to ‘give’ away their edge in the market or secrets to the competition; if you ‘give’ credit to someone else, you may forfeit your own best interests. And then there’s the ultimate professional ‘no-no’ of ‘giving’ up and letting sales or clients walk out the door.
In all of these scenarios, giving has a negative connotation and no one wants to be on the short end of that stick, least of all women, who still routinely feel the need to work harder and be tougher than men just to be viewed as equals.
But what if cultivating a spirit of giving in the workplace could be just the thing your company needs to get ahead, both professionally and individually?
And consider the possibilities if women were to give from a place of strength rather than from a place of weakness or fear. Next stop: World domination!
But seriously, cultivating a corporate spirit of giving has many far-reaching benefits, and they don’t stop with the people within our professional spheres – they are simply where it starts. And you can be the catalyst to bring about your workplace’s emphasis on internal and external acts of altruism.
For more specifics on why getting in the grove of giving back is good for business, consider the following:
Giving Can Help you feel like a Natural Woman
A recent study presented in the Wall Street Journal indicates that humans are hard-wired for giving.
The study tested the brain’s responses to giving and the surprising results revealed that when people give to charity or extend aid to others, they stimulate a pleasure-sensing portion of the brain. In essence, giving to charity is neurologically similar to ingesting an addictive drug or learning you’ve hit the jackpot. Basically, giving back feels good!
As an added element to the test, subjects were presented with both voluntary and involuntary giving. For example, there were some instances wherein people could choose to give to charity and it was completely of their own free will to do so. Other times, the computer would simply inform them that they were required to give (similar to taxation).
Perhaps not so surprisingly, people responded more positively to the occasions where they were in control of their actions. Although the brain still registered good vibes when the people were forced to give, they were not nearly as strong as when the subjects gave on their own.
In terms of what this means for you and developing your own corporate spirit of giving, make giving voluntary and then lead by example. You’ll find that when you do what you’re naturally inclined to do, you can get back to feeling more like a natural woman!
Giving is Beneficial to your Corporate Bottom Line
When you encourage employees and co-workers to help each other, they can not only feel better about themselves but they can also boost business.
For one thing, the idea that two heads are better than one, three are better than two, and so on becomes front and center for creating synergy within your teams. And when it ceases to be a competition and instead becomes a common goal, great things can happen!
At the same time, communities want to support companies who are about more than themselves. By implementing a philosophy of giving back every day, you can expand your professional impact and your client base at the same time.
What are some of the other benefits women can experience by fostering a culture of corporate giving?
About the Author: Myrna Vaca is the Head of Marketing and Communications at Lyoness America, where she is responsible for marketing, communication and business development efforts. The Lyoness Child & Family Foundation (CFF) is actively involved in supporting children, adolescents and families worldwide, especially in the field of education. Check out Lyoness on Twitter.
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1 Comment
Very timely post especially for this season!
Just to add, giving also covers intangibles such as a smile, a kind word, sharing your time and expertise. These are often overlooked but could be just as valuable as tangible gifts.