1. The Go-Giver: The Secret of Success in a Nutshell
Chris Horne
June 9, 2013
Work hard. Get a college education. Play by the rules and be a go-getter – get, not give.
How many times have you heard these exhortations of so-called tips for success from your
parents, supervisors, colleagues or spouse in your quest to be a productive and contributory
member of society, climb the career ladder, and “make a mark”? In the success and leadership
book The Go-Giver (Burg and Mann, 2007) one such journey up the corporate ladder is depicted
in the story of Joe, the ambitious, hard-working broker at Clason-Hill Trust Company. The Go-
Giver takes the reader through difficult business and life situations and the five laws of
stratospheric success: value, compensation, influence, authenticity and receptivity. This report
provides a brief overview of one of the five laws of stratospheric success shared in the book – the
law of influence.
Joe was a struggling recent college graduate. He is likeable, agreeable, open to new
experiences, and hard-working; despite all his hard work he cannot land the big account, the Big
Kahuna. According to the CEO of the Big Kahuna, Joe’s firm does not have the “clout and
leverage” to close the deal. Joe tries using every form of persuasion to convince this customer to
buy from him. Joe is about to give up when a colleague, Gus, the older, tenured and laid back
salesman, offers to introduce Joe to a mysterious character named “the Chairman” who some sort
of secret advice to offer which leads people to become successful in life and business. Late one

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Friday afternoon, as Joe was at the end of his rope, he asks Gus for the Chairman’s contact
information. Joe calls the Chairman’s secretary, and to his amazement, is allowed to meet first
thing the next day with the Chairman who would then describe over the next week his “trade
secret.”
Joe discovers this secret to success when meeting with the Chairman, known as Pindar, a
grey-haired businessman who lives in a plush mansion in the hills outside Joe’s downtown
office. Pindar’s network of confidants creates pull and discrete social power to affect business
decisions and people’s attitudes. In The Go-Giver, Pindar explains to Joe that influence is
determined by how abundantly one places other people’s interest first (p. 71). When giving is a
priority, according to the Chairman, then good things happen in life. But the style of giving the
book prescribes is not donating a million dollars to charity and expecting to be happy and
satisfied in life. The book reemphasizes the idea of ‘giving as a way of life’ based on passionate
individuals providing their service and not focusing on what they receive in return. The idea here
is to find greater satisfaction in giving customers passionate service than through the return in
payment.
A person cannot wake up one day and say “I am going to give” and then find success the
same day. When one learns to give, gradually obtaining clout, he or she expands the circle of
influence so that giving opportunities increase. Through Joe’s circle of colleagues he finds a
referral that turns out to be a competitor. In a moment of revelation, Joe decides to give the
competitor a lead to the Big Kahuna. This prompts the reader to ask how many sales reps would
give away business.
In a weeklong daily sequence of meetings with the Chairman, Joe learns that influence
requires character traits not common in the business world – giving, humility and not ‘keeping

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score’ with clients. Influence means one has a personal network, not just any network – not only
Amway, LinkedIn or Facebook. No, in order to land the big account, you need personal walking
ambassadors, people you can count on, those that may not buy your products but remember you
and care deeply about your success (Sweeney, 2010). A true network, as explained by the
Chairman’s confidant Sam, develops by not keeping score. This type of network is developed by
not ‘playing poker’ with people and throwing away the scorebook – a hard pill to swallow for the
competitive, business person. When relationships are based on who owes what, that is a
‘creditor’ mentality not a friend mindset, which, the book depicts, does not lead to success.
As the Chairman listens to the conversation between Sam and Joe, he interjects a dose of
business wisdom. Joe could not understand how this new influence, placing others’ interest first,
was a law of success. The Chairman eloquently spoke up by stating: “If you place the other
person’s interest first, your success will always be taken care of- always. Some people call it
enlightened self-interest. Watch out for what others need with the expectation when you do,
you’ll get what you need" (p. 68).
In contrast, a recent conversation with my boss, he stated no referral would be granted to
competitors unless they referred something to him; I realized that there are few “Chairmans” in
this world. My boss’s mindset accentuates the competitive “dog-eat-dog” mentality where sales
numbers may take precedence over giving, less common in real business settings that are hostile
and exclusive because it is not easy to practice; as a result why would one want to be a giver of
“secrets”?
Traditional notions of what creates influence such as money, fame and college degrees go
out the window in The Go-Giver. The 127-page story is readable, inspiring, motivating and
provocative; many in the business world will reap rewards by its application. Givers not getters

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are attractive in the Chairman’s world of business and life. If the five laws of stratospheric
success are applied, a person may not acquire money and fame, but will be an influencer and
more importantly much richer in job and life satisfaction owed to the secret.
References
Burg, B. & Mann, J.D. (2007). The Go-Giver. New York, NY. Penguin Group.
Sweeney, J. (2010). Networking Is a Contact Sport. Dallas. Benbella Books.