The Karma Bank. How appreciation becomes a sustainable currency

Not only conventional banks depend on them: trusting relationships and profitable management of capital. The same applies to the karma bank. What money and returns mean to a bank, good deeds and appreciation are for the karma bank. The customers of the karma bank are people who want to build trusting and beneficial relationships with others and those who seek recognition for their work.

The Karma Bank. How appreciation becomes a sustainable currency

The karma bank method focuses on our environment, perception, and how we act on this perception. It makes the concepts of “giving to each other” and “taking from each other” visible and helps maintain a balanced ratio between the two. Although it might seem like a feel-good idea at first, it is actually a strategic tool for team culture, careers, leadership, and mutual appreciation. Many people wait for this appreciation instead of actively creating it. Women are often influenced by this.

Wanting to please, an example

Wanting to please others instead of focusing on shaping your own success is often seen as "typical woman.” Socialization makes this pattern familiar to many women. The traits associated with it are often described as “modest,” “reserved,” “hard-working,” “harmonious,” “perfectionist,” “helpful,” and “emotional.” Traditional gender roles reinforce this internal image and influence behavior unconsciously. The book “How Women Rise” by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith highlights typical behavior patterns that can hold women back at work. These include:

• holding back
• not wanting “too much”
• waiting for others to recognize your performance

Women often fear being seen as too ambitious, calculating, or arrogant, and hold back to avoid giving others an easy target.

The four areas of behavior and their effects

“Wanting to please” is closely linked to socialization and role models, especially for women. The four behavior areas at a glance:

1. Career management. Focusing too much on the job instead of strategic career planning, often because of fear of being seen as “too ambitious.”
2. Relationship management. Relationships are developed but not used strategically, with people expecting their performance to be recognized on its own.
3. Self-presentation. Successes are not highlighted due to fear of appearing arrogant.
4. Expectations of oneself. Perfectionism and excessive self-criticism are often used to avoid falling short of a target or to exceed expectations.

The way forward? Focus less on trying to please everyone. Instead, stand up for yourself and your career. This is where the karma bank comes into play. It helps people build trusting and beneficial relationships and earn appreciation for their work.

Three principles and two rules of the karma bank

For the karma bank to work, three principles and two rules apply.

The three principles:

1. Everything has an impact, including what is left undone.
   Example. A colleague raises a well-reasoned critical point in a team meeting. No one reacts. Others think, “Better say nothing.” Energy shifts, and the valuable input fades or feels like a disruption.

2. You receive what you visibly give.
   If you do not make your contribution visible, the method fails. Example: An employee takes on extra tasks for weeks without mentioning them. She assumes others notice, but they do not. The result is a lack of appreciation, no development opportunities, and no chain reaction.

3. Invest in relationships.
   Honest human signals strengthen relationships, like colour accents in a black-and-white office. They stand out, connect, and are remembered.
   Example. A colleague offers unsolicited help to a new employee. Trust grows. Later, she is recommended for a project because she is seen as supportive.

These three principles reflect the basics of successful collaboration, where performance matters, and how it is perceived and passed on matters too. This creates a culture shaped by conscious interactions. Two rules sit above everything else.

The two rules:

• Rule 1: Only those who deposit may withdraw.
  It reminds you to contribute and encourages you to ask for support.

• Rule 2: Every deposit has the same value.
  It clarifies that engagement counts, not hierarchy or perceived “worth.”

Depositing and withdrawing karma, how it works

When you support others, you make a valuable contribution. You deposit into the shared karma account. This account, for example, belongs to your team, your organization, or your project group. What you deposit, you may withdraw again by asking others for support or a favor. You define the types of support contributions together when you open the bank. The bank statement is displayed at the workplace and is visible to the team. It reminds everyone of the agreement with Karma Bank and makes Karma transactions traceable.

Why depositing pays off: the positive balance

Employees begin to engage with each other and feel confident asking for support. The karma bank creates transparency and prevents some from always giving while others only take. Knowing that every favor is “repaid” encourages people to think more actively about how they support others.

If you want to start a karma bank in your company or team, contact us. Ameliorate will support you.