The Go-Giver

CBS KCTV5 Better Kansas City TV Segment | The Go-Giver

“The Go-Giver”, one of my all time favorite books was given to me in 2011 by two individuals I now call dear friends. The premise of the book is that shifting one’s focus from getting to “giving” (in this context, giving meaning constantly and consistently providing value to others) is not only a nice way to live life and conduct business, but a very financially profitable way, as well.

This simple idea has helped me be more successful as well as numerous other folks I have witnessed implement these same principles by Bob Burg and John David Mann. Want the cliff notes version? Here you go.

  1. The Law of Value.
    • This is the idea that your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.
  2. The Law of Compensation.
    • This is the idea that your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.
  3. The Law of Influence.
    • This is the idea that your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.
  4. The Law of Authenticity.
    • This is the idea that the most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.
  5. The Law of Receptivity.
    • This is the idea that the key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.

My favorite law is #4 – the Law of Authenticity. I remember early on in my speaking career I had an engagement that required me to speak twice a day for three days. When I first started this profession, I thought I had to be something I’m not – stuffy, basic and ultra conservative. However, by day three of this particular engagement, I was exhausted. I remember I was so tired that the walls I had built up broke down and I started speaking from the heart and authentically to who I was – not someone I thought I had to be. The result? It was by far the best speaking engagement I had to that date. I connected far better with audience attendees than I ever had and since then, I have vowed to never allow myself to be unauthentic again.

My wish for anyone reading this blog and truly wants to be successful in life, is that you will think about the concepts of this book. It is human nature to constantly think about our own needs, but by shifting our mindset and focusing on other’s, it’s proven that we will be much more successful.