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The Go-Giver - Book summary

In a brutally competitive world where everyone seems to be fighting to earn more and achieve greater success, The Go-Giver offers an alternative set of business success principles built on giving and adding value to others. These laws were originally written to help businesses to increase sales and profits, but were found to also improve relationships and success in life. In this free version of The Go-Giver summary, we’ll briefly summarize the “5 laws of stratospherical success” and how they can impact your business and personal life.

The Go-Giver is a fable about an ambitious young man, Joe, who propelled himself to phenomenal success after he learned and applied the “Five Laws of Stratospheric Success” from a famous consultant and several go-givers (who were also extremely successful in their businesses/career).

The 5 Laws of Stratospherical Success

Here are the 5 Laws in a nutshell:

The Go-Giver summary_5 Laws of Stratospheric Success

The Law of Value

Your real worth is defined by how much more value you give than how much you get paid. Before thinking about profits, first ask yourself, does this serve others? A great business delivers unbelievable value; when you you focus on giving value as a way of life, the money will naturally follow.

The Law of Compensation

Your income is decided by the number of people you serve and how well you serve them. The bigger your impact, the more money you’ll actually earn.

The Law of Influence

Your influence is defined by how often and how much you focus on others’ interests first. The best way to build strong relationships is to focus 100% on helping the other person, without keeping track of how much others owe you or how much they gain. When you add value to others freely, people are naturally attracted to you, like you and want you to succeed, and you essentially build an army of personal ambassadors.

The Law of Authenticity

The biggest and most valuable gift you can offer is yourself. Every human being craves genuine connections and relationships. Hence, the best gift you can offer someone is your authenticity, simply by being yourself rather than pretending to be someone else. No amount of manipulation skills or techniques can be as effective or valuable as your authenticity and sincerity.

The Law of Receptivity

To give effectively, you must be open to receive. Giving and receiving are 2 sides of the same coin. There can be no act of giving without a concurrent act of receiving, just like how you cannot exhale without inhaling. Practice  receiving–the next time someone pays you a compliment, simply accept it graciously by saying “thank you” with a smile.

These 5 laws are brought to life in the book through the easy-to-read fable and its characters.  In our full version of The Go-Giver summary, we provide a detailed overview of the fable, the key lessons and tips on the 5 laws (including insights on applying the go-giver approach), and other lessons that can be gleaned from the story.

Getting the Most from The Go-Giver

For a detailed outline of the fable and the 5 laws, do get our complete book summary bundle which includes an infographic, 9-page text summary, and a 19-minute audio summary.

The Goal summary - book summary bundle

After the original book was published, it grew into a movement. Readers started to share how they used the 5 laws to turn around their businesses with more sales and happier customers, improve their marriages and parenting.  For more details, do get a copy of the book, or visit thegogiver.

About the Authors of The Go-Giver

The Go-Giver: A Little Story about a Powerful Business Idea is written by Bob Burg and John David Mann.

Bob Burg is an American author and speaker, and a former television personality. He was named one of the Top 30 Leaders in Business by the American Management Association, and is one of Inc.’s 100 Great Leadership Speakers.

John David Mann is an award winning author. He was also a prize winning composer and concert cellist, and built a multimillion-dollar sales organization. John previously received the Nautilus Award, the Axiom Business Book Award (Gold Medal), and Taiwan’s Golden Book Award for Innovation.

The Go-Giver Quotes

“A genuinely sound business principle will apply anywhere in life—in your friendships, in your marriage, anywhere.”

“The Go-Giver started as a book but soon became a movement.”

“Money is not a measure of your goodness or worthiness; it is a measure of your impact.”

“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.”

“The Five Laws aren’t magic; genuine success still takes work, but it becomes work you love.”

Click here to download The Go-Giver book summary and infographic

4 Comments

  • Bob Burg says:

    Thank you. Filled with gratitude for your very kind and thoughtful summation of John David Mann’s and my book. Many thanks!!

  • Rick Adolpho says:

    Mahalos Bob for these words of wisdom and guidance. It’s a heaven send and an eternal principle that if all applied with the right heart, I believe 100% all will drive success.

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