Bob Burg and John David Mann have written an exceptional book titled The Go-Giver, it tells the story of a young man named Joe who yearns for success, and seeks advice from a legendary consultant named Pindar. 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 results. It is a must read and should be added to your personal development library. Below are a few paragraphs which are conversations between Joe and Pindar which will give you a brief insight into what the book is about.
“You want to understand success, yes. All right I’m going to share my trade secret with you now. Giving. That’s the secret to your success? That’s too simple, even if it were true, which it can’t possibly be? Most people have that reaction. In fact most people just laugh when they hear that the secret to success is giving. Then again, most people are nowhere near as successful as they wish they were.”
“What you focus on is what you get. Ultimately, the world treats you more or less the way you expect to be treated. Go looking for the best in people, and you’ll be amazed at how much talent, ingenuity, empathy and good will find you.”
“Giving away more value than you get paid for? I’m sorry I don’t get it, It’s almost like you’re trying to avoid making money. Does it make money? Is not a bad question. It’s a great question. It’s just a bad first question. It starts you off pointed in the wrong direction. The first question should be, Does it serve? Does it add value to others? If the answer to those questions is yes, then you can go ahead and ask, Does it make money? In other words, exceed people’s expectations, and they’ll pay you even more. But the point isn’t to have them pay you more, it’s to give them more.
“You give, give, give, give. Why? Because you love to. It’s not a strategy, it’s a way of life. And when you do, then very profitable things begin to happen. All the great fortunes in the world have been created by men and women who had a greater passion for what they were giving – their product, service or idea – than for what they were getting. And many of those great fortunes have been squandered by others who had a greater passion for what they were getting than what they were giving. Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.”
“Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them. Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first. Because if you place the other person’s interests first, your interests will always be taken care of. Always. Some call it enlightened self-interest. Watch out for what other people need, with the faith that when you do, you’ll get what you need.”
“All the giving in the world won’t bring success, it won’t create the results you want, unless you also make yourself willing and able to receive in like measure. Because if you don’t let yourself receive, you’re refusing the gifts of others – and you shut down the flow. Because human beings are born with appetite, nothing is more naturally geared toward being receptive than a baby, and if the secret of staying young, vibrant and vital throughout life is to hang onto those most precious characteristics we all have as children but which get drummed out of us – like having big dreams, being curious, and believing in yourself – than one of those characteristics is being open to receiving, being hungry to receive, being ravenous to receive!”
