Simon hired Meyer and a few of the other contributors to Army Man, and they went on to make The
Simpsons a hit together. In the writers’ room, George Meyer established himself as a giver. Tim Long,
a Simpsons writer and five-time Emmy winner, told me that “George has the best reputation of anyone
I know. He’s incredibly generous in giving and helping other people.” Similarly, Carolyn Omine
marvels, “Everybody who knows George knows he is a truly good person. He has a code of honor,
and he lives by this code, with a supernatural amount of integrity.”
George Meyer’s success highlights that givers can be every bit as creative as takers. By studying
his habits in collaboration, we can gain a rich appreciation of how givers work in ways that
contribute to their own success—and the success of those around them. But to develop a complete
understanding of what givers do effectively in collaboration, it’s important to compare them with
takers. The research on creative architects suggests that takers often have the confidence to generate
original ideas that buck traditions and fight uphill battles to champion these ideas. But does this
independence come at a price?
michael s
(Michael S)
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