The Go-Giver – Bob Burg and John David Mann
I chose to write a post about this book for the debut of this, my latest website, WiseWomenRead.com because this book tells the story of what this site is all about for me. I didn’t create this site to make money although I won’t complain if some happens to come along. I created this site to share with all of you what I am reading, why I am reading it and what my takeaways are. Yes, I do have some affiliate links if you choose to link over and buy the books I have read or am reading, but all the money from that just goes to help some really great charities.
I first read The Go-Giver in 2008 when a friend recommended it to me. Arlin Sorensen is one of those people who, like me, reads a lot of books and shares with others about the books that have made a difference for him. I read the book in one bathtub sitting as my husband now calls it. Yes, I had to keep refilling the hot water but I didn’t want to stop reading and the bathtub is my quiet place. Hopefully you have one of those in your home! I have since read it several more times and I give it out as gifts to clients and friends.
As soon as I picked up the book, I knew it was a game changer. It felt like Bob and John had taken all of my philosophies in business and life and written them down for the world to explore. Now my business and life philosophy had a name “Go Giving”. I had read very few business books written in a parable style but I was hooked from the first sentence. Here is how they describe the book:
The Go-Giver tells the story of an ambitious young man named Joe who yearns for success. Joe is a true go-getter, though sometimes he feels as if the harder and faster he works, the further away his goals seem to be. (Ever felt that way, I know I have!) And so one day, desperate to land a key sale at the end of a bad quarter, he seeks advice from the enigmatic Pindar, a legendary consultant referred to by his many devotees simply as the Chairman.
Over the next week, Pindar introduces Joe to a series of successful “go-givers”: a restaurateur, a CEO, a financial advisor, a real estate broker and “The Connector,” who brought them all together. Pindar’s friends share with Joe the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success and teach him how to open himself up to the power of giving.
Joe learns that changing his focus from getting to giving—putting others’ interests first and continually adding value to their lives—ultimately leads to unexpected returns.
So what is it about this book that compels me to keep reading it and to keep giving it away? The key is in its simplicity and the authenticity of the authors. I have had the pleasure of meeting both the authors and I even quote them in my book, What Would a Wise Woman Do? Questions to Ask Along the Way. Bob and John are no different than the characters they write about in their books. They are givers in the truest sense of the word. They didn’t just write a business philosophy. They live it. Every day.
The meat of the book is in The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success. Each person Joe meets lays out another rule that unlocks the door to stratospheric success. The five Laws are: the Laws of Value, compensation, influence, authenticity and receptivity.
I’ve been called a master networker, the mayor, the person to ask if you don’t know where to go next and crazy because I open my connections to people in need that respect the value of those connections. If you’ve ever been called crazy for giving over taking, wondered why you can’t seem to close a sale when you need one more deal to meet quota but you still give that lead to someone who can better provide for them, you will want to read this book. Understand and practice The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success and open yourself to the abundance around you.
Questions to ask yourself as you are reading:
- In what areas of my life and business am I giving and in what areas am I taking? How can I increase those areas of giving while providing value and being open to receiving?
- How can I serve the greatest number of people with what I am passionate about?
- Where in my life and business am I being authentic and where am I not being authentic? How can I bring myself into alignment in all areas so that I am authentic at all times?
- Who do I know that can benefit from someone I know or something I know and what is stopping me from helping them? Who or what do I need to know that will help me grow? How do I meet those people and/or learn that knowledge?
Once you have read The Go-Giver come back to this post and comment. I will be responding to all posts to create a conversation about this powerful book. Tell me what questions and lessons you have learned!
