Are you building a strategic network with reciprocity?

Getting more by giving more: the power of reciprocity.

→ This is the fifth in a 7-part series on building strategic capacity in your organization. Part 1 here. Read Part 6 here.←

THINK ON IT: Are you building a strategic network with reciprocity? 

Did you ever get a letter asking you to take a survey with a dollar tucked inside? Did it evoke even the slightest inclination to oblige?

If so, you’ve experienced the power of reciprocity. 

Reciprocity is the psychological power of obligation. Someone does something nice for you, you want to return the favor. And that returned favor is often significantly greater than the initial gift.

Some time ago, I was helping my daughter evaluate which college she should attend. One of the colleges she was interested in visiting was a small college in Iowa that had reached out to her. When I noticed that they didn’t offer a degree in her desired field of study, I asked why she wanted to visit them. “I really liked the nice letter they sent me. It came with a package of gum,” was her response. It made me wonder how many incoming freshmen were reciprocating their parents' money on tuition because of that college’s strategy to send them a pack of gum.

Reciprocity, if used correctly, is a powerful way to create a network of support to help you design and advance the strategy of your business. It’s the third of five disciplines you’ll need to develop if you want to grow your strategic margin to think more deeply about your business. And it’s one of the easiest to implement – but also to ignore.

It starts simply enough by seeing your interactions with others as an opportunity to give. And there are so many naturally occurring opportunities to do so. Consider a few:

• Someone you meet is looking for a job. Who can you connect them with even if only to get them closer to their destination?

• Someone you meet is running a business. Who might you send to them as a potential customer, or to help them with a challenge they may be experiencing?

• Someone you meet is discouraged. What might you say to them, or do for them, that would leave them better than you found them?

Giving first, in this way, increases their disposition to return the favor. But here’s the rub. People see through a gift when it has strings attached. 

Building a strategic network with reciprocity has no strings. Think of it not as a vending machine, but an investment in your future.  

Are you building a strategic network with reciprocity?  Paid subscribers, read on to learn how to build one the right way. (Become a paid subscriber.)

“Give an unexpected gift at an unexpected time.” — William Forrester (Sean Connery), Finding Forrester

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