The "Go-Giver"
The “Go-Giver”
“Giving” - An Uncommon Lesson
“So you are telling me that the more successful someone is, the more likely they are to give away their secrets?...Yes! typically, the more successful they are, the more willing they are to share their secrets with others.” — The “Go-Giver,” A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea
Many of us (myself included), believe that when we become successful, it’s because we have a “trade secret,” something only we know that can be leveraged against others to our benefit.
This idea runs precisely opposite to what Bob Burg and John David Mann argue in their book, “The Go-Giver.” In it, “giving” is a superpower that transforms all other areas of our work and personal lives. Enriching us and those around us, but not in the way one would expect.
While it is contrary to our aggressive, modern environment, there is more here than meets the eye.
An Unexpected Personal Example
In 2006, I was working at a large architectural firm in Charlotte North Carolina. I secured a great position with a variety of senior designers while attending college. In my first weeks there, they were more than happy to pile on tasks far above my job description. However, my favorite came when I heard the frustrated sighs from a project manager on the other side of a cubicle wall.
He had committed to building a 3D model of a project, (relatively new technology in our office), and present it to a live audience. For him, it was a daunting challenge, since our personnel didn’t have that expertise. However, I recently came from a studio where we had been constantly modeling and had the time and experience to satisfy that immediate need.
I was glad to offer help to solve the problem.
For a couple days, I was on a high. Even though I was the newest member of the team, I had a niche skill that could solve a real problem. And that was when all the requests started coming in. Not requests to build more models, but to teach others how to model and give away my “trade secret.”
I immediately resisted. Why would I want to freely give away this skill, no longer occupying the niche? Probably all of us have been there before, and I felt a strange mix of jealousy and resentment, somewhat afraid of not being the point person on this. Logically, it just didn’t really make sense, why would I work to actively give away my competitive advantage?
But deep down, “giving just” sort of felt right. Something inside told me that I shouldn’t hold back what I could give.
Months later, after having helped several architects start their own models, build a library of materials and blocks and establish organizational structures, only then did I realize how beneficial “giving” was. Not only did the entire firm benefit from a more widely available skillset, but I found a new love of teaching and organization. Additionally, as I helped, I began learning far more than if I were simply building models myself. Now, I could be partially involved in all the models, not just one at a time. It freed up my time to tackle more complex projects and allowed other more senior and better positioned team members to integrate models into a variety of other projects.
“Giving” in this situation benefitted me, and allowed for more dynamic growth. Just not in the way I was expecting.
This lesson has stuck with me years later.
“But deep down, “giving” just sort of felt right. Something inside told me that I shouldn’t hold back what I could give.”
“The “Go-Giver,” A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea”
Many years later, Matt White, of Superhero Messaging, Marketing & Sales, introduced me to a variety of resources that explained how to use digital content creatively to educate, convict and impact audiences with our messages. He speaks about how we can use our specific talents to help promote and teach others. In doing so, we display our own talents and help others in the process.
Matt was the one who introduced me to the “Go-Giver” by Bob Burg, John David Mann. While I owned it for a couple years, I hadn’t read it and over the last few days took the time to finish it. I could summarize it as the conceptual foundation for a content strategy that highlights just how important our outlook on “giving” is. Even though it is short, (around 50 pages or so), it drives home just how many people we can impact by taking on this mantle. Illustrated as 5 “laws,” these points contain timeless value not just as ways to be successful in business but in life also.
Putting It Into Action
The author states: “Giving, touching others’ lives, expanding the circle of our concern to include others, being authentic, and being always open to receiving as well as giving. That’s not just a children’s fairy tale—it’s a good description of many of the most amazing people I’ve encountered. And while they may live and work in different countries and in different fields, they all share the same core giving philosophy. This book captures that philosophy and shows that it is more than a fable, a parable, or a pipe dream. It’s real—a path that people can follow in their daily lives. People want to believe that this is the way the world can work: that living with a focus on others isn’t just a nice goal but that it can be a way of life, and can lead to a life that is full, rich and fulfilling. But then, too often, we feel pressured by the voices (both external and internal) of cynicism and resignation, telling us, “It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there—you’ve got to look out for #1.”
Too often people hear “be a giver” and think of charities and writing checks, of “giving back” once we have already done well for ourselves. But that’s only one very specific facet of giving. By “be a giver,” Bob and John mean be a giving person, period: one who gives thought, gives attention, gives care, gives focus, gives time and energy—gives value to others. Not as a quid pro quo, not as a strategy to get ahead, but because it is, in and of itself, a satisfying and fulfilling way to be.
What we’re saying is that success is the result of specific habits of action: creating value, touching people’s lives, putting others’ interests first, being real, and having the humility to stay open to receiving.”
“Reflecting on this lesson, it is evident just how impactful it is in business, collaboration and life. Have you ever found that “giving back” served you in ways you didn’t expect?”