Are you putting the Law of Reciprocity to work for you?
Reciprocation flows from Divine Law that can neither be ignored or put aside. Perhaps, the most important of these laws is the 'law of love.' Put simply, "Love is Law, Law is Love. God is Love, Love is God." This amounts to the same thing as "the gift of giving" without the "hope of reward or pay," or serving others.
This 'law of love' is identified in many different ways--for example, in Wayne Baker's new bestseller, "Achieving Success Through Social Capital" (Jossey-Bass), this law of love in the workplace is described as the "law of reciprocity."
The law of reciprocity is not what can best be described as "transactional reciprocity." Baker says that, "Many people conceive of their business dealings as spot market exchanges--value given for value received, period. Nothing more, nothing less. This tit-for-tat mode of operation can produce success, but it doesn't invoke the power of reciprocity and so fails to yield extraordinary success."
If you could do one thing for your customers, family or friends, what would that be?
How could you help people who are unemployed but want to work?
What is the power behind your business and social relationships?
What fuels social networks like FACEBOOK, MySpace, Twitter, Ning, etc.?
"One of the most potent of the weapons of influence around us is the rule for reciprocation. The rule says that we should try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided us."
Robert B. Cialdini, author of The Psychology of Persuasion (William Morrow, 1993)
