The Go-Giver Book Review

Author: Bob Burg and John David Mann

Book Review By: Angie von Ruden-Doll

The Go-Giver is a parable-style book that is intended to shift a person’s perspective on success. There are “Five Laws of Stratospheric Success”, all of which can be applied to being in business as a coach, and to the action of coaching to some degree.

The Laws are:

1. The Law of Value: Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you 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 interests first.

4. The Law of Authenticity: The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.

5. The Law of Reciprocity: The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.

This book was recommended to me by a power-networker who I met this spring during my job transition and it epitomizes the joy I find in networking, making introductions for others, and helping others make connections that ultimately bring them joy! I recently turned somebody down for a job that I was hiring for and ended up having a half-hour conversation with them about coaching which turned into an introduction to Jennie. Good things often come from meeting new people and exploring paths of mutual interest, as well as paths of interest that are polar opposites.

As people doing coaching for income, these “Laws” are all ways to approach business. Our worth, income, and influence are based on what we give and how well we deliver what we give. Coaching is not a profession that we pursue to see what we can get from others! Our gift is to give our time and skills to others for their benefit. Doing this well leads to happy, successful clients who want to spread the love and have us share our skills with others in their network. Regarding the fourth and fifth laws, being an authentic person is critical to our own emotional wellbeing and therefore to our ability to share our skills, which then allows us to be open to receiving gifts from others in whatever form they come.

My favorite line from the book comes early, on page 13, although the theme is repeated throughout in various ways. “You get what you expect.” I believe this wholeheartedly and it’s part of the reason I give my energy to positive thoughts and not to negative ones. We choose how to use our energy, our thoughts, and our emotions, and I choose positivity which then comes back to me in what I receive from others and from circumstances. The past year has had a lot of potential challenges for me and I have done my best to take each one as some kind of learning opportunity or gift, proceed with a positive attitude, and continue with confidence that good things are coming because they already have and they continue to come my way.