Book Review: The GO-GIVER
Book Review: The GO-GIVER by Bob Burg and John David Mann
A little story about a powerful business idea
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. 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.
I was given a copy of this book by Amanda Johnson of VACT (Virtual Assistant Coaching and Training Company), I am currently working towards my VA Mastery Course with Amanda, and she had suggested it’d be a good book for my fellow Virtual Assistant (VA) trainees & me to read. So although I was looking forward to reading it, I was perhaps also a little sceptical about what I would actually get from it. As I’m not usually keen on this type of book.
However I decided to start reading the book on the plane home, after being away on a couple of days training with 5 other Virtual Assistants who were all starting out on their VA business journey too. It seemed like a good time to give it a chance.
From the outset the book had me hooked, I quite quickly made my way through the chapters, wanting to read more and more, and find out the next ‘law’. The Go Giver isn’t just a business book, yes it’s a great read for the business world, but it was easy to read, simple to grasp and the ideas are far-reaching not only in terms of business but also your day to day life.
The Go Giver is an engaging book that brings new relevance to the old proverb “Give and you shall receive”.
One of the main characters Joe (the young go-getter) basically learns that the old methods of cut throat, win at all costs business style isn’t necessarily the best way to get results. And Pindar, a mysterious, yet very successful gentleman guides Joe on his way to discovering this new approach to business and self-discovery. Throughout the book, Pinder takes Joe through the 5 Laws of Stratospheric Success and asks Joe to put them into practice in his day to day life:
THE LAW OF VALUE:
Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment
THE LAW OF COMPENSATION:
Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them
THE LAW OF INFLUENCE:
Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first
THE LAW OF AUTHENTICITY:
The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself
As Oscar Wilde famously said “Be yourself – everyone else is taken”
THE LAW OF RECEPTIVITY:
The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving
And I’ll stop there, I don’t want to spoil the story for those of you that are interested to find out more, I’d say give it a chance…you may be surprised what you take from it. However, you may well react differently to Pindar and his lessons, and that will be based on your own personality.
For me, I can’t put my finger on just what made me like the book so much, perhaps it was simply because everything made sense, and is the approach I take myself, I’m not one for the hard sell, and I love to help people, so in a way I’m putting some or even all of the ‘laws’ into practice already without realising it. Reading the Go Giver has been a positive experience, and I’m glad I took the time to read it.
So if you are feeling like you’re stuck in a pattern of arguing with someone, or you are feeling frustrated that you can’t seem to get ahead at work or in your business, perhaps get yourself a copy of this book, and you never know the simple yet powerful ideas within it may just be the boost you need to get on.
In summary, I would say that the Go Giver is a great story that is well told, and contains important lessons for all aspects of life – business & personal.
About the Authors
Bob Burg is a highly sought-after conference speaker who teaches the principles at the core of The Go-Giver to audiences worldwide. A former top sales professional, he is also the author of Endless Referrals and Adversaries into Allies. He lives in Florida.
John David Mann is an entrepreneur and award-winning co-author whose titles include the New York Times bestsellers Flash Foresight and The Red Circle. His Take the Lead was named by Tom Peters and the Washington Post as Best Leadership Book of 2011.
