I have been reading Guy Kawasaki’s recent book Reality Check and it has seeming endless supply of insightful nuggets.  After working for years in the “strategic consulting” industry and reading countless business books, it is great to see a business guide that cuts through all the crap and gives the unvarnished truth.  Great work Guy!

There are also a couple of sections that caught my eye in the context of networking and reciprocity.  A couple of times Guy refers to the “big karmic scoreboard in the sky” in his book and earlier blog posts such as The Art of Schmoozing.  After reading this, I have go to say that our vision for Favorang is not that far off.   An excerpt from Guy’s description is below.

Give favors. One of my great pleasures in life is helping other people; I believe there’s a big Karmic scoreboard in the sky. God is keeping track of the good that you do, and She is particularly pleased when you give favors without the expectation of return from the recipient. The scoreboard always pays back. You can also guess that I strongly believe in returning favors for people who have helped you.
Ask for the return of favors. Good schmoozers give favors. Good schmoozers also return favors. However, great schmoozers ask for the return of favors. You may find this puzzling: Isn’t it better to keep someone indebted to you? The answer is no, and this is because keeping someone indebted to you puts undue pressure on your relationship. Any decent person feels guilty and indebted. By asking for, and receiving, a return favor, you clear the decks, relieve the pressure, and set up for a whole new round of give and take. After a few rounds of give and take, you’re best friends, and you have mastered the art of schmoozing.

Our goal for Favorang is to be the Karmic Scoreboard on the Internet and facilitate the exchange of networking favors.

What do you think? Are we on to something?