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Reflections from our Bookshelf: The Go-Giver

The Go-Giver
By: Bob Burg & John David Mann
Reflection by: Shannon Dermody

Why I read it?

Kylie suggested this book to me as a piece that was a quick read but had an impactful message. The Go-Giver was easy to sit down and read in a little over an hour, but the ideas presented in it have resonated with me.

What is it all about?

This book is about a salesman in his mid-twenties who is very focused on being successful in his career. He’s always working to land the next big client and meet his sales goals but finds himself missing the mark several quarters in a row. Desperate to gain enough clout to land a client that will help him hit his third quarter goals, he connects with a local business coach with the intent of name-dropping the coach to his potential clients. Instead, he commits to learning and implementing the “laws” that the coach has developed. In the story, the main character meets a different person each day who embodies each of the Laws, and to continue on with the lessons, he has to find a way to implement each Law the same day he learns it:

  • 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.
  • The Law of Receptivity – The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.

The authors tell the story in such a way that by the time they actually give voice to the Law itself, the reader already understands the new concept from “real-life” examples and the law is just a concise summary of the previous chapters. It is a very effective method of conveying these ideas, and the main character achieves success by shifting his focus away from the numbers. By being helpful and kind, other people start recommending him and helping him move forward.

What caused me to pause?

The Law of Influence caused me to pause to consider how effectively and how genuinely I place others’ interests above my own. One of the secondary concepts in this section was that “Fifty-fifty’s a losing proposition… Make your win about the other person, go after what he wants. Forget win-win – focus on the other person’s win.” I really like this reminder that being generous shouldn’t be about gaining something for yourself, but that true generosity should only be intended to help the person who needs it. The book posits that your generosity will come back to you eventually, but you shouldn’t keep score about who you’ve helped just for the sake of knowing who owes you.

How will this book change my habits/influence me?
Many of the lessons in this book are ones that I’ve touched on tangentially in my life at one point or another, and it was useful to see them condensed into actionable concepts. I feel I have the most work to do within the Law of Value and the Law of Influence, and plan to be intentional about adding value to interactions and making myself more available to help others.

Add this to your reading list if …

You’re someone who uses sales-driven metrics as a measurement for success. This is a reminder to let yourself be human too, and not just chase the next quarter’s numbers. While I am not in a sales-based role, the lessons in the book were useful to me too and it’s an easy read.

Pickle Rating: 4/5

Shannon Dermody

Shannon DermodyTEST

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