For those of you who know me or have been following me for a while, you know that I’m a big believer in giving. So, imagine my excitement when I learned that giving was the secret to great success, at least according to authors Bob Burg and John David Mann in their book The Go-Giver.
The Go-Giver tells the story of a young man who yearns for success but can never find it. The harder he strives the further away his goals seem to be. It’s not until he changes his focus from getting to giving that he starts to actually achieve his dreams.
“Most people just laugh when they hear that the secret to success is giving…Then again, most people are nowhere near as successful as they wish they were.” – Bob Burg
Most of us believe that those who are the biggest givers have the most to give, but the truth is they have the most to give because they’ve always been givers.
You can’t expect a fireplace to produce heat unless you throw on some logs. Success works the same way. The more you give, the more you get.
And according to the book, if you want to have stratospheric success, you need to follow these five laws.
- The Law of Value – Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.
Think about your favorite restaurant. The type you go to on special occasions. What draws you there? My guess is great food, great service, and a great experience. You get more than you pay for. That’s how we should live our lives, always look to give more than you get.
- The Law of Compensation – Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.
When we think of compensation, we always think of money, but for most of us, we have no control over what we get paid. What we do have control over is how many people we serve and how well we serve them. We let our impact determine our level of success instead of our salary. If you want more success, find a way to serve more people.
- The Law of Influence – Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.
When you start looking out for other people and putting their interest first, what you’ll find is that over time you’ll develop a network of people who have your best interest at heart. Most people believe money, position, and accomplishments create influence, but that’s backwards. Influence creates them.
- The Law of Authenticity – The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.
For whatever reason, it seems that in the world of pastoring so many people try to be something or someone they’re not. Do yourself a favor, and just be you. You are the most valuable gift you have to offer. Your training and skills matter very little. Your most important asset is your ability to connect with people.
- The Law of Receptivity – The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.
It may be more blessed to give than to receive, but that doesn’t mean we should try to close ourselves off to receiving. That wouldn’t make sense. They’re connected just like breathing. You can’t breathe in without breathing out, and vice versa. If you don’t let yourself receive, you shut down the flow.
I would encourage everyone to put these laws into practice in your life, but remember it’s not about what you do or what you accomplish, it’s about becoming a Go-Giver. Good luck.
Have you ever read The Go-Giver? What do you think of the 5 Laws of Success? Let us know by leaving a comment below, and make sure to subscribe to the blog to get tips on success, leadership, and more delivered to your inbox each week.
