Jan ‘24 BOTS: The Go-Giver

January’s Book on the Shelf

Title: The Go-Giver
Author(s): Bob Burg, John David Mann

Dimensions of Well-being: Social, Occupational

Take-aways: If you want to receive (and you have to, it’s one of the 5 Laws of Stratospheric Success), you must start by putting others first. By focusing on what you have to offer the world, you’ll find that your value is directly tied to your ability to bring others value.

You'll LOVE this book if: You find yourself always fearful of where you’re going to get the next lead, or land the next “big one”, or aren’t sure why others aren’t willing to help you get to where want to go.

DON'T read if: you feel you already give enough, or don’t believe that helping others should be one of the foundations of your own success.

Reasons I love this book: Meaningful relationships are one of the pillars of a successful, meaningful life (just ask Positive Psychologist Martin Seligman, or read his book Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being). But if we sit around waiting for others to “serve us",” we’ll oftentimes be left wanting. Instead, The Go-Giver offers us an alternative. Focus more on serving others, and be open to whatever they might offer in return.

Burg and Mann’s writing is easy to digest, as you led though the story of Joe, a struggling businessman who needs to hit his sales quota for the month. He hears about a famous (albeit mysterious) consultant known as “The Chairman,” who he elicits for advice. Surprisingly, The Chairman gives Joe exactly what he wants…and more.

Using the 5 Laws of Stratospheric Success (The Laws of: Value, Compensation, Influence, Authenticity, Receptivity), the Chairman explains to Joe what has brought him such good fortune in his career….the idea that focusing on what you give the world is drastically more impactful than what you take from it.

Why is this so impactful? Besides the feel-goods and the value add to your soul, what you can GIVE is within your control. You get to choose when, where, why, and how much. What you receive is not. So why not focus on the controllables, and let those that you positively impact make a decision on how to return the favor.

Find it here on Amazon.