We’ve discussed the power of reciprocity to influence the behavior of our patients, co-workers and peers.
Give someone a gift and they immediately want to give you something back.
That’s why you get solicitations in the mail with 1000 “free” return address labels.
Or why you’re given a flower before being asked for a donation.
Or a pen by a drug rep.
Reciprocity is why we, as a species, survived. In the competition for resources, groups who reciprocated with each other dominated those who did not.
Reciprocity is a powerful, powerful force. We are hard-wired for it.
Of all the methods of influence, reciprocity is the strongest—and the weakest.
The farther away your partner gets from being the beneficiary of your good turn, the less likely they’ll be predisposed to reciprocate.
Give a patient a sample of meds and a satisfaction survey and that survey score will be higher than if they get the survey a week later.
Think of gratitude as a form of reciprocity—-reciprocity at a distance.
This is not something they teach you in residency to prepare you for the corporate world. And it runs against everything you see on TV and in the movies. But it’s something that’s essential you understand.
Unless you keep reinforcing the reciprocity, with your peers, your patients and your co-workers, you can’t expect them to go out of their way to give you a hand if you need.
Take great care of your patients and after a couple of years they will turn on a dime and sue you. Be kind to a co-worker and they will throw you under the bus if they need.
In MBA training you’re educated in the importance of constantly demonstrating your value to your boss and those whose good will you need to succeed.
If you want to survive as a professional in the corporate world, you’re going to have to learn that principle as well.
Expect reciprocation from those to whom you repeatedly provide value.
And don’t be disappointed if you fail to experience reciprocation from those you don’t.