"Give More in Value Than You Take in Payment": A Recipe for Success!

This week I’ve been reading an excellent book recommended by a good friend of mine – The Go-Giver, by Bob Burg and John David Mann. Burg and Mann’s brief yet profound business fable sets such concepts as “achievement” and “success” on their collective heads.

Their message: Rather than trying to attain your goals by being a “go-getter” and setting your sights on grabbing as much as you can for yourself, you should instead be a “go-giver” by putting others’ interests first and continually adding value to their lives. It follows that the more you focus on what you give to others rather than on what you get in return, the more you’ll see your primary goal as always striving to exceed others’ expectations.

Burg and Mann characterize their premise regarding giving as The Law of Value, which they state as follows:

Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.

Rather than being a formula for business disaster, say Burg and Mann, The Law of Value reflects a principle for success that great business people have known for years. As one of the characters in their story says about giving:

It’s not a strategy. It’s a way of life. And when you [give], then very, very profitable things begin to happen.

In other words, if you are primarily focused on giving – be it in the form of products, services, information, knowledge, or even just yourself – then the energy and passion behind your contributions, and the quality of what you are giving, will be strikingly apparent to the people you are serving. As a result, they’ll  seek you out for further service and recommend you to others.  As another one of the characters in The Go-Giver says, "Givers attract."

Your own personal success will come, say the authors, but more as a byproduct of your service focus than as something for which you directly strive. You distinguish yourself, not by offering the same transactional “service for payment” that anybody else could offer, but by going over and above what’s expected. The extra value you provide is what attracts others, expands your network, increases your influence, and ultimately leads to your success.

REFLECTIONS FOR THE YES! LEADER

It strikes me that The Law of Value applies to the realm of personal relationships as well.  As I was reading The Go-Giver, my classic-rock brain immediately plugged into one of the Beatles’ most famous lyrics, from their Abbey Road album:

And, in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

But it seems that the Beatles’ math may run slightly counter to The Law of Value, in this respect: The goal of giving is not to be concerned about the balance between the outlay and inflow sides of the ledger, making sure they’re always equivalent. The goal of giving is to give for its own sake.

If we want find another classic rock lyric that better squares with The Law of Value, I’d point to Andy Gibb’s recording of “I Just Want to Be Your Everything” (written by his brother Barry):

If you give a little more than you’re asking for, your love will turn the key.