Today’s post is an excerpt from Franke James’ article at officepolitics.com. She is an author and speaker focusing on environmental and social change.
Wouldn’t it be great if the more you gave, the more you got back in return? If that were true, imagine how it would transform your workplace, your career, and even your family life. All of a sudden there’d be an upsurge in people wanting to give, give, give, instead of always taking (from you)!
Well, that little scenario is the seemingly implausible idea behind a recently published book, The Go-Giver, by Bob Burg and John David Mann. It’s written in the business parable style popularized by the bestsellers Who Moved My Cheese, the One Minute Manager – and more recently The Adventures of Johnny Bunko.
After reading it, I agreed
that the underlying message was worthwhile and good… But somehow, I was
skeptical. Sure, I can believe it. But will other people buy the ‘Go-Giver’
message’? Does it have any ‘new’ or fresh insights that would persuade people
who are not ‘natural givers’ to adopt a giving mindset? Could it convince those
people who routinely put their own interests ahead of everybody else’s to
change their ways?
So, I put the book aside and mulled. I decided to put it to a test. I would observe people I come in contact with to see if I could spot any true Go-Givers.
Now, before I go any
further let me give you a quick synopsis of its principles. Burg and Mann have
structured their story around five laws which are based on value, compensation,
influence, authenticity and receptivity.
1. The Law of Value:
Your
true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than take in
payment.
2. The Law of
Compensation:
Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how
well you serve them.
3. The Law of Influence:
Your
influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interest
first.
4. The Law of
Authenticity:
The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.
5. The Law of Receptivity:
The
key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.
My mission was to spot a
Go-Giver. We can all identify someone who is experiencing success. But how do
we know their success is a result of ‘giving’? Here are the ten clues I used to
look for a Go-Giver:
1. A Go-Giver does you a favor and is not looking for
compensation.
2. A Go-Giver helps you just because they want to and is not
keeping score.
3. A Go-Giver listens carefully to how your day was, or how a
project is going.
4. A Go-Giver helps you without caring whether your status is
high or low in life.
5. A Go-Giver makes connections for you because they believe
in you.
6. A Go-Giver over-delivers on a job because they want you to
be happy (and tell your friends).
7. A Go-Giver recommends a competitor if they are a better
fit.
8. A Go-Giver is someone that others spontaneously and enthusiastically
rave about.
9. A Go-Giver goes out of their way to help others.
10. A Go-Giver always seems to be connecting with the right people to make good things happen.
Franke goes on to tell stories of people she recognizes as Go-Givers in her life or day-to-day interactions. I think we don’t step back often enough to recognize the power and influence of this interaction in our personal and professional lives.
If you are a new manager or trying to reach a new level how powerful an effect would it have to another's perception of you if you stepped up to take on that project? No questions asked.
If you are starting your own business what impact would focusing on serving the consumer before your own needs have on the long term bottom line?
These are simple laws, questions. As Franke has done, look
around you and inside you to see where you rate against these principles we
espouse to be important. Let our actions speak louder than our words.
listen. learn. share. repeat.™
g.
This is one of the best little books I've read in recent months. Hope your sharing it leads more people to read it and follow it's philosophy. Thanks - Anita
Posted by: Anita | 03/16/2009 at 03:05 PM
Great content! I am excited to see how many lives will be impacted by the Go-Giver Tour. Thank you for being you!
Posted by: Bradley Will | 03/16/2009 at 10:17 PM