I read a lot of inspirational and motivational books, and I confess that I usually feel good about them for a short while and then gradually forget the details. HOWEVER, with "The Go-Giver", I find myself remembering the principles and putting them into action. And, I don't mean once in a while, but every day since I read the book. It feels as natural as breathing.

The funny thing is the same day I finished reading the book my career started to take off in ways that I never planned nor imagined. I received national recognition in my company (for helping a different department) and I received some lucrative sales referrals from prospects whose business I lost (because even though they turned me down, I still helped them with their charitable work).

Coincidence? I don't know. All I know is I'm ordering extra copies of this book and I'm going to share them with my sales team (and with my kids).

Regardless of what you are doing to earn money or if you are retired there is something to learn in this book. It is very entertaining, with some good humor. The principles taught in this book will move you forward in business and your personal life. I enjoyed reading this book, and would highly recommend it to everyone.

In a world that's been over-saturated with parables on business and life success, The Go-Giver is a standout. It is also a powerfully important message in a world where too many people are listening to radio station WIIFM.

This is the kind of book that you can't put down. As a matter of fact, I read it twice can plan to read it many more. The authors conveyed the go-giving principle in a most excellent way. I have personally given this book out to several people and will continue to do so. The principles outlined in this book apply to both business and personal living. The whole concept of giving is sound and does reap great rewards. I personally have experiences massive success from using what Bob Burg and John David Mann teaches in this book. Would I recommned it? With no question! As a matter of fact, order serveral copies and practice the Go-Giving principle. If more people practiced the 5-Laws to Stratopheric Success; this would be a different world. The good thing is that YOU can change your world by practicing to be a Go-Giver.

I'm not used to finding a business book that I can't put down. The Go-Giver is written is such an easy to read, enjoyable style that I read it in one sitting. I love the simple yet powerful lessons in the book and look for ways to use these ideas in my life. After reading The Go-Giver I shared it with ten colleagues for our next business book club meeting - share it with your friends - they will be grateful you did.

The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea came to me through a strong recommendation from a good friend. The title plays off the Go-Getter attitude normally associated with reaching success in business and in one's personal life, but flips the true measure of success from the act of getting to the art of giving.

A thin book of 126 easy-reading pages, I read this powerful parable in one relatively short sitting outside on the deck of my favourite Starbucks on the planet (the chuckwagon-shaped former-Arby's Starby's on Rt. 66 in Albuquerque, New Mexico USA).

As the book explains, the go-getter is often going in the opposite direction of the Go-Giver. Working harder doesn't lead to success. Win-Win is not the solution. Going Fifty-Fifty is not enough. Rather, conscious and full 100% sharing with others leads to the greatest and happiest success. When on the teeter-totter of life, choose the Giving way.

The book is organized into short storied chapters describing the awakening of Joe, the protagonist. Joe viscerally experiences the Trade Secret and the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success through the kind tutelage of a cast of interconnected successful Go-Givers led by the enigmatic sage Pindar.

The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success shared in The Go-Giver are:

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

The Law of Compensation: Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.

The Law of Influence: Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people's interests first.

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

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

You will want to capture the missing depth to each law as told through this fresh and accessible book by adding it to your reading list. Unlike most books, you will be able to finish this book quickly with important value received for your effort.

As Martin Luther King is quoted on the book, "Everybody can be great because anybody can serve." Or, as the book rephrases Dr. King, "Everybody can be successful because anybody can give."

Excellent book! This is a short and quick read with a profound message. It may not help you earn the million bucks your after but it wouldn't hurt and the message works for life as well as business. Well worth the $14 from Amazon.

This is a must read for everyone regardless of your walk of life. This book is more than just another business book, this book will change your life if you apply all five laws in your life. In one word "Outstanding"

Live Limitless,
Ashley Bolivar
[...]

I read The Go-Giver on a short flight and actually wished the flight was longer--I didn't want to close it! Burg and Mann weave a wonderful story of how five simple principles can help us stay focused on our goals and dust off our dreams. It's my new favorite gift for all the special people in my life!
[...]

They call it the 'Little" Story - I think that's an understatement. I've read a lot of 'good' inspirational books in my time and I've read some that should have been, but weren't. "The Go Giver" is a book about things we should have already learned, but have a tendency to forget in our day to day hectic life styles and interactions with others.

It doesn't really matter what you think you know about 'giving', and if you think you are missing something in your life, you need to read this book because you probably are.

Anyone who passes "The Go Giver" by because they think it is just about 'business' is missing a lot. The lessons inside can be applied to every single minute of our lives.

If you don't have "The Go Giver" in your personal library, BUY IT. When you get the messages and 5 laws from your head to your heart, your life and the lives of everyone you come in contact with is going to change.

It may be a "little" book, but it's got a HUGE message. Get it, read it, LIVE IT.

I've read a lot of 'good' inspirational books in my time and I've read some that should have been, but weren't. "The Go Giver" is a book about things we should have already learned, but have a tendency to forget in our day to day hectic life styles and interactions with others.

I don't care what you think you know, if you think you are missing something in your life, you need to read this book because you probably are. Anyone who passes this book by because they think it is just about 'business' is missing a lot.

If you get the messages and 5 laws from your head to your heart, your life can't help but change.

The Go-Giver is a very heart warming, touching story that has many valuable lessons on how to achieve stratospheric success.

According to the authors, there are five laws that we must follow if we expect to achieve above average success. While we have all heard of the win-win situations, the authors advance a totally different model. Make sure the other person wins. If you will give up the idea of trying to "keep score" and instead concentrate on what value you can bring to others, you will begin to attract success to you.

The five laws are presented in a rather heart warming story that brings the laws to life. There is another underlying law that is touched on but not made part of the five laws - that is the law of action. In the story, Joe is required to put each law to the test the day he learns about the law. More poeople would achieve great success if they would simply learn the law of action. Nothing changes in our lives unless what we learn it put to the test.

The law of action was, in my opinion, a bit understated. I believe that we have too much information and too little action.

The book is very short and extremely easy to read. You can finish the book in under two hours. However that does not mean that the lessons are not important.

These laws are very simple and straight-forward. While the book can be read in a just a couple of hours, the laws should be read quite often. If you are looking for success, you should understand and apply these laws.

This really is a nice little story. It is just such a shame that neither of the authors gave credit to Napoleon Hill for the title or any portion of the development of the idea. Even the reviewers compare it to "Who Moved My Cheese?" without realizing that the original idea was espoused in 1937 by Mr. Hill. If one is going to stand on the shoulders of those who walked before, he should at least say "thank you".

I read this book in small chunks -- I liked the idea of savoring it.

Although the message was about getting more profit/money, there was an underlying message of "HOW." I think that's important and why I would recommend it to women business owners in particular.

We like relationships and what works in this story wouldn't work without relationships. Also, the focus is on building a business that is more along the line of the types of businesses that women do build. If you think in terms of the communal model rather than the hierarchical model, this book is a nice read.

The Book - a little over 120 pages long is a good little story that teaches some of the most powerful business and life lessons. It is an easy story to read and the five lessons are great for everyone to remember.

The story was so powerful that I asked my 14 year old son to read it as well. I immediately started using the lessons in this book and have found that they work. Living the lessons make you feel better as a person.

Highly recommend this book.

Burg's enjoyable book, The Go-Giver builds on the lessons outlined in Endless Referrals. It combines an entertaining story, with likable characters, and a deceptively simple message which can be applied in both personal and professional settings with ease.

With little introspection it's easy to see how applying the principles discussed in The Go-Giver would quickly add value in any organizational setting.

I found the truths identified in this book to be powerful enough to have each of my four children (aged 21, 20, 18, and 17) read the book oldest to youngest; asking them to make personal observations for use in their personal and professional lives before passing it to their next younger sibling.

The Go-Giver is the most important book that I have read in years. In a beautifully and eloquently told parable, Burg and Mann reveal the secrets of true stratospheric success. For those who follow the Laws of Attraction or are fans of The Secret, this powerful tale reveals not only how attraction works in real life, it also illustrates the steps you need to create both the business and the personal life that you want. While we may not always get the prize we seek, when we give to others and do so without attachment, what we receive in return often far exceeds our greatest expectations.

The Go-Giver also shows us that the old statement that, "It's better to give than to receive," is simply not true. Giving and receiving are like walking--to do so efficiently, we must have both legs working together in harmony. If you are hopping on only one foot (giving all the time without being willing to receive), you're not going to get as far as someone who uses both feet.

If you read nothing else this year, this is the one book that is a must read. More importantly, don't just read it. Take each one of the five steps outlined in the book and give yourself a week or more to implement them. You will be amazed at what results.

Bernice Ross, CE0, RealEstateCoach.com

All too often in business we consider "what's in it for me". Bob Burg and John Mann delivers a refreshing perspective starting with the first law of "Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment". This does not mean to "short-change" your company but move ones motivation to a higher level. Any long term quality company needs to have all their decision makers read this as a "must read". Great job in identifying those principles and qualities we all sometimes forget.

This is a GREAT little book. Fast reading, but packed with tremendous, thoughtful material.

This is a book you just can't put down once you pick it up. A little book with a huge message.

I highly recommend this book to all professionals.

This is a nice story to remind us of some simple truths to enrich our attitudes on life.

If you would like to become more successful in business, definitely invest in yourself and add this book to your library. Not only will reading this book and applying its principles change the quality of your business life, it will add tremendous value to your personal and professional relationships also.
The book is very well written, easy to read, and in fact you might not be able to put it down once you start reading it, as I did. I couldn't wait to get home from work the next day, to find out what was happening next with Joe, Pindar, Rachel and the other folks who reside in the book.
Not often does a book like this come along that makes you feel more positive, hopeful, benevolent, altruistic and charitable while reading it and afterwards. Put any of the 5 principles to work in your life, and watch your success grow in ways you wouldn't have imagined. Put all of the 5 principles into action in your life, and start moving toward stratospheric success.
Many thanks to Bob Burg and John David Mann for writing this book.

I had the opportunity to see Bob Burg speak twice in one week, in two different states! Both times he touched on aspects of The Go-Giver that hit home for me both professionally and personally. I just finished reading the book today and am amazed at the profound impact of the message. Not only does it talk about being a giver for the sake of giving (not getting), but also the Law of Receptivity...being able to receive, is equally as important. For every giving "event", there must be a receiving event as well and we should all be open to that! Just imagine what the world would be like if we all thought about how to help others instead of ourselves. A must read!

Go-Giver helped me realize that you can be successful professionally, and find personal successes the same way- by taking a minute just to help someone.
This quick read is charming and inspiring, and I often stop and think about this book and its lessons in my day to day conversations.
Highly recommended, and highly enjoyed.

A good book. It's a quick, worthwhile read. In a nutshell, it's How to Succeed in Business in a style very similar to Dan Millman's Way of the Peaceful Warrior. It touches the heart and gives hope that you can becomes simultaneously an amazing person and amazingly successful. And unlike the original Peaceful Warrior book, it does give a blueprint.

I don't find it to be 5-star mostly because it is so brief and simplified. (Silly me, the size of a book doesn't determine it's value, but I can't get past that emotional reaction.) Then again, I suspect it's one I'll reread a few times and as I internalize it's teachings, it may earn that last star over time. If you've read a lot of self-development literature, much of the book won't be new or surprising. But even for me, who has read a lot of this genre, one or two lines stood out as clue-by-fours of "oops, I TOTALLY do that." For me, clue-by-fours (ie, an insight that smacks you upside the head) usually make any book worth their price.

I still wish it were a little longer -- just to elaborate on the how-to of changing some of the negative habits into positive ones -- but overall, worth it.

This book took me 2 hours to read and gave me practical information on how to create the life I want. It is one great story (I love stories ~ facts are boring) with many exceptional lessons weaved in. I highly recommend this book to anyone who desires to grow as a person and likes to read books written in a story format ~ it's excellent!

Misti Burmeister
Author of "From Boomers To Bloggers"
www.InspirionInc.com

I love this book! I have always used these principles in my business practices but, I had to learn the hard way. The school of hard knocks. I wish every young adult, and every aspiring business person could read this and see truly what it takes to make it in this world. Your paychecks are always a direct reflection of the value that YOU add to the world! What a home run these authors hit! I applaud you and I cant wait to read more inspiration from such great minds!

All the advice we received as kids and young adults about early birds getting worms, the golden rule (he who has it gets it) and power dressing for success falls by the wayside in the face of the simple advice found in The Go-Giver: Find a way to be of service and magnify the effect through others. Duh! What's so complicated about that? So, why do so few people know it, and why do even fewer actually paractice it?

Look at the real success stories around us, the people who live well rounded lives and who are loved and respected by everyone, and you will see that they are living the principles taught in this book. 'nuff said.

The Go-Giver is a great parable, it reminded me a lot of the Greatest Networker in the World. A wonderful easy to read story of joyful service. When we serve others we cannot help but serve ourselves. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is in the business of life.

If you want to succeed in life, you have to understand the true definition of success. Money is great. Power is wonderful. However, chasing these things assures that you will always be doing so. There will always be someone richer, smarter, and more successful that you have to keep up with. True happiness and real success requires thinking a little differently.

The Go-Giver is the story of an average Joe who's a real go-getter. He's always out to prove himself, always chasing down the next lead. Unfortunately, his results just never seem to equal his efforts.

In hopes of elevating his game, Joe seeks the help of a successful businessman. Serving as a mentor, this man teaches Joe the real tricks in business. The education Joe gains is invaluable. This book sort of reminds me of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, in an entertaining fictional format.

Simple story with high impact. A great read for every person in business. And, a great gift to share with clients, employees, friends and family. Takes us all back to the simple truths of being a good steward of our time and talents.

Fascinating book explaining what 90% of business people get wrong. They typically go out into the world chasing business and trying to get everything they can. What they should really be doing is going out into the world to give. Please realize that how much you earn and how much you enjoy life is based on the value you bring to the people of the world. That's it. If you want to make a lot of money, bring a lot of value to the people you know. Most successful people don't just give 1:1 value, i.e. value that is equal to the value they are receiving. Most successful (read 'wealthy') people give 10 times or more the value they receive. Give and give without expecting to gain. Give and it will be returned 10-fold. When you or our business is struggling and your mind is falling into the depths of desperation and a scarcity mentality is creeping in, that is when you need to quit worrying about yourself and give even more. When you give to the universe, it will be returned.

Buy two of these books, one to read and the other to give away.

Take care and God bless,

Michael

"The Go-Giver" is not only for people in business...it is for people in LIFE! This book is a manual for living. This takes the cake...it's the whole enchilada...the real deal! Sorry for the tacky cliche's. "The Go-Giver" is simply the most astounding, wonderful, generous, little book I have ever read. Mr. Burg and Mr. Mann have taken the principles of "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind", "Think and Grow Rich", "Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting", "The Magic of Believing" and, of course, "The Secret" and condensed them with 5 very simple laws,that can not only change the business world. This book can change lives! I am immediately ordering one for everyone on my Team.

Eileen Penta

This book is inspirational and the best read I've had in ages. I've recommended it to many people. I don't usually read books again but this one will definitely be getting a second and perhaps third and fourth read!

I just finished reading "The Go-Giver" and I thought it was marvelous. I must admit that I had difficulty in grasping how the 5 laws could be applied in my personal and business life. I think my confusion is a good thing for a couple of reasons. First, I just don't think that way, yet. Just like Joe, I find myself struggling to succeed. Now, with the help of the book, I am going to follow the same approach Joe did. Each day, I will do my homework.

I love the way the authors use a parable to transfer the lessons. The main character, Joe, was easy to indentify with. I really understand his thought process before he learns to apply each law.

Like Joe, today I'm hoping to add value to my interaction with others.
I was sad to reach to the end of the book. There is so much to digest. I agree with others who have posted reviews, the principles in this book, if applied in everyone's life, would have a very positive impact on the world. My favorite line from the book was something like "it's not about keeping score".

The 5th law is a kicker and so is the surprise guest during the last meeting.

Get the book. Read it. Apply the laws in your own life. Most importantly, share it with anyone open and willing to receive it.

I have always enjoyed reading Bob Burg's articles on building successful business relationships, so when I learned he had written a new book, I purchased it right away. He's done a great job in identifying a handful of principles for success in life. He's also launched a whole new Go-Giver industry, I'm sure, with the book to be followed up with seminars, videos, motivational programs, posters, etc. Good for him. His message is positive and world-enhancing.

The book is written as a fictional story with the lead character learning business lessons of success as the story moves along. This technique is both a strength and a weakness. It's a strength because it makes the book easy to read and almost ensures massive sales in the corporate market. It's a weakness because it's necessarily phony and superficial.

Now, I know that this is not superficial stuff, and I know that Burg knows what he is talking about and can back it up from experience. Burg's and Mann's message is right on the money. But it needs a more serious dissertation to understand why the advice provided is good advice. With The Go-Giver, we're left to take the viability of these seemingly paradoxical ideas on faith. I suspect marketers and creative types will get it quickly because they understand the importance of relationships to business success, but finance and operations folks will have a hard time getting it.

So, while I liked the book and wish the authors great success with it, I hope Burg & Mann carry on from here with a more serious discussion about why the principles asserted are universally valid. The answers are grounded in economic, marketing and ethical theory.

This easy to read parable should be read and reread often to remind us what the true focus of our lives needs to be for genuine happiness and a lasting legacy. I recommend it to everyone.

Very quick to read and makes an important lesson easy to understand. I highly recommend this book for young and old alike. It's not just valuable for business but the lesson contained will improve any relationship in your life. Makes a great gift and I plan to give a few away to my business friends and teenage daughter and her friends too. If the young ones can start out life following the principle of giving as outlined in the book, they will be very, very successful and happy too.

Bob Burg and John David Mann offer a business fable in a familiar mode: A mysterious mentor guides a troubled businessperson to secret truths and fabulous success. The pattern may be well worn, but the principles taught are pretty solid. While it seems unlikely that the quick success the story's characters find is commonly available to all those who live these "laws" based on authenticity and generosity, getAbstract does understand how observing them could make you happier and potentially more effective, and that's already a big step forward. The authors contend that like their hero, Joe, you can make your life sweeter and your success more meaningful by giving to others. Fact or fiction, it is hard to argue with that.

This little book reveals that most things necessary to achieve and be successful as a human or in business are the small, simple things. In a world where the personal, human touch has lost it's way, this story reminds one that dynamite really does come in small packages. The best competitors are those with values and a heart. I believe this little book speaks to the seasoned successful professional or the new college graduate. As a Hospice nurse, I find this philosophy works well in my field and my reward is patients that feel cared for and about, and management recognizes that I give my patient's my best. The hard part is to relax and allow the many blessings of life to flow to us rather than feeling like we must daily chase the blessings with our racing hearts in our throats. This reminder helps.

This book written in story form truly represents the best approach to ethics, courage, vision and practical application of common sense in the most easy to read manner.

Reading it I began to understand where the concept of giving was the basic fundamental approach to all problem solving because it centers around getting outside the self-absorbed ego and freeing the human spirit to enjoy the moment at hand by truly wanting to provide a service with loving focus on the recipient.

I enjoyed the entire book. There is no reservation on recommending this story telling master-piece.

I have never written a review for Amazon even though I am an author and have read hundreds of books. I simply want to state that this book has had an amazing impact on me. Bob Burg and David Mann have captured and shared the true essence of real leadership and success in 129 easy-to-read pages. I commend you two for your insights and your ability to tell a story that delivers a message that each one of us needs to be reminded of daily. I appreciate you two very much and will be recommending this book to my clients and friends. Thank you.

I thought this book was great, it is a quick read, it is an inspirational story and gives real life examples that you can relate to. If you can read this book and put it into practice in your own life, you will be more successful.

Having attended a couple of Bob Burg's seminars I was thrilled when he mentioned this project was on the horizon. Having learned so many applicable truths & tools from his seminars combined with his book Endless Referrals, I couldn't wait to receive The Go Giver. I was not disappointed!! Somewhere along the way we become burdened with deadlines, quotas, others expectations, & more. What a great refresher course! I admire & appreciate the simplicity of the presentation this book delivers!

I am reminded of John Maxwell when he asks if there is a difference between business ethics and ethics alone. Although the principles shared & demonstrated in the Go-Giver will certainly benefit a person in their business world, I am confident that if diligently practiced they will permeate your ENTIRE world! This is a book for everyone, everywhere, of all ages. These principles will cause Stratospheric Success for a 6 year old as well as a 96 year old and all those in between! These philosophies are time tried & true...thanks Bob & John for bringing them once again to our awareness in this day & age!!

The book is overly long. Its core message is mildly amusing, maybe. But should not be taken seriously by anyone interested in starting a successful business. Had the text been just a few pages, perhaps as a web page or as a magazine article, then it would not have wasted as much of a reader's time.

What exactly are the authors' qualifications for this advice they tout? The back of the dust jacket says that Burg is a motivational speaker and a former sales professional. Figures. Beware of authors whose only substantial background is this, and who have not achieved anything else of note.

If it is sound advice for business success you are seeking, try Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company, by Andy Grove. He was the leader of Intel for many years, and responsible in no small part for its immense growth. He wrote that book after he was successful. Far better qualified to offer serious tips.

...but, I fell in love with The Go-Giver and finished it the night it arrived--then immediately ordered copies for my grown children.

Business parables are often overly simplistic, filled with caricatures rather than realistic individuals. The advice, or lessons, may be oversimplified, oversold, or unrealistic.

The Go-Giver is different, however. The characters and dialog are credible. The principles are realistic and clearly stated. The story is moves forward at an even rate.

Rarest of all, the Go-Giver does not over promise. It provides a perspective for changed behavior that can be implemented without self-consciousness or vulnerability. The laws make sense and feel so "right" and "natural" that compliance comes naturally.

In a toxic business environment, it takes courage to write a "gentle" book that stresses "values" without dogma. After reading it, I found myself feeling better when acting on my better instincts--doing what "feels good"--without needing to defend my actions to my cynical "internal critic" who often questions my impulses.

My review in two words: "Love it".

The business parable gives some great advice on what the authors have titled the 'Five Laws of Stratospheric Success" (Law of value, Law of compensation, Law of influence, Law of authenticity and the Law of receptivity).

The laws boil down to one basic point...give more than you get. These laws are absolutely spot on with how I've tried to live my life. Life isn't about how much can I get...its about how can I help others, what value can I bring to others and living according to my own ethical standards.

This is a great book and is a fast read. Pick it up and read it on your next plane ride....you'll be glad you did.

Excellent! - put the rules of business (and life) into perspective! Well written!!

If you are a fan of smart business books such as Who Moved My Cheese, and Leadership and the One Minute Manager, you will find this book equally up to the task of wrapping a business and personal philosophy into a fictional story.

The authors have created a touching parable about Joe, a hot shot go getter, driven-by-quotas/numbers kind a guy, who learns because of timing and circumstances The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success.

Guided by his newly discovered mentor, Pendar, Joe takes a short and challenging five-day journey to discover and apply each of The Five Laws. During his day-to-day journey not only is Joe made aware of each one of The Five Laws, he is introduced to successful men and women who have eagerly adopted The Five Laws. As the journey moves forward, Joe is expected to carry out each of his lessons or his journey comes to a swift end. You may be surprised in the manner and means Joe applies each of The Five Laws. In some cases, he is not fully aware of the lessons he applies until he reexamines his actions, motivation and behaviors on and off the job.

As a training tool, or for an uplifting personal message of motivation, this book will become an important resource to leaders who believe and aim to foster the value that your true worth is determined by how much you give, that your compensation is in relationship to your service to others, and placing others first is a powerful business idea.

Armchair Interviews says: Important business resource.

I was intrigued when I first read the title The Go-Giver ( A Little Story About A Powerful Business Idea) Let me tell you, its not just a business idea thats what makes this book so valuable. The text within this book is applicable in far more places and they want to share with you. Its a quicky but a goody. Snag it up quick.