Check out this amazing interview I conducted last week with best-selling co-author of
The Go-Giver and acclaimed speaker Bob Burg:
Inspire
Me Culturally Interview with Bob Burg 7/17/2013:
Can a
subtle shift in focus really make that big of a difference in your business and
income? And, when combining this shift in focus with five proven Laws of
Success, can your business really become a lot more fun; a lot less stressful;
a lot more profitable; and much more beneficial to your clients?
Our
guest says, “Absolutely, yes!”
Bob
Burg is a sought-after speaker at corporate conventions and for entrepreneurial
events. He regularly addresses audiences ranging in size from 50 to 16,000 —
sharing the platform with notables including today’s top thought leaders,
broadcast personalities, Olympic athletes and political leaders including a
former United States President.
Although
for years he was best known for his book Endless Referrals, over the
past few years it’s his business parable, The Go-Giver (coauthored
with John David Mann) that has captured the heart and imagination of his
readers.
It
shot to #6 on The Wall Street Journal’s Business Bestsellers list
just three weeks after its release and reached #9 on BusinessWeek.
It’s been translated into 21 languages. It is his fourth book to sell over
250,000 copies.
Bob is
an advocate, supporter and defender of the Free Enterprise system, believing
that the amount of money one makes is directly proportional to how many people
they serve. He is a founding board member of Club 100, a charitable
organization focused on helping underprivileged local area youths. A lover of
animals, he is a past member of the Board of Directors for Safe Harbor, which
is the Humane Society of Jupiter, Florida.
OH: Do the 5 Laws hold across all cultures? Have you found any cultures more or less
accepting of it?
BB: That’s a great question. What it really boils down to what we are
asking is: how different or alike are most people? What many people advocate is that since
markets and cultures around the world are different, it must mean that people
are also different. My experience has
been that that’s really not the case.
The Go-Giver principle will work wherever there is a free-market
economy. What the principle says in
effect is that it is a shift from an “I” or “me” focus to an “other” focus.
In a market economy, people want to buy from you if they
perceive value in what you have to offer them.
To give you an example, two years ago I spoke right outside of
Beijing. There were translators in 12
different languages, and I did a short Q&A session after my talk, which I
don’t always get to do. What I found was
that, the people in the audience had all of the same questions, the same
answers, the same fears, and the same objections as other people with whom I’ve
talked. Before I spoke to this audience,
I had studied the Pimsleur language course in Mandarin. The first minute of my talk, I gave entirely
in Mandarin. It’s because I wanted to
show them respect, and for me that’s Law # 3 [Law of Influence] in essence when
you come right down to it.
OH: The last time I read a book on business that
touched me at a core level like this was 20 years ago when I was first starting
out. That book was The 7 Habits of
Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey, of blessed memory. Did you ever have the chance to meet Dr.
Covey, and do you think any of your ideas were influenced by his teachings?
BB: I actually once shared a platform with Dr. Covey
at a conference 10 years ago. He was the
keynote speaker, and I followed him right after. Unfortunately because he had to leave right
afterwards, I never did actually meet him.
However, I have gotten to know his son Stephen M.R. Covey, Jr. He’s written two excellent books: The Speed of Trust and Smart Trust. Dr. Covey’s books and teachings have certainly
made it into my writings.
OH: I’m 45, and a bit more seasoned than Joe. Do the 5 laws apply to me and my age bracket
just as readily as they do to Joe’s?
BB: Absolutely, yes.
These laws are so across the board that they would transcend any
age. Look at Ray Kroc. He was 55 when he found a way of taking the
McDonalds brothers’ system and using it to touch the lives of many, many
people.
OH: Personally, I think that opponents of a purely
capitalist system tend to lose sight of the fact that the system is based not
on exploiting the worker, but rather on service – providing exceptional value
towards the customer. Would you say that
in essence, that’s what your true message really is?
BB: Yes. Our
message is the message of free markets – which honors the natural inclination
of human beings. Capitalism and free
enterprise says that to the degree you provide value is the degree you’ll be
rewarded. That doesn’t work in a centrally-planned,
non-market economy. In a free-market
economy, even the poor are better off.
The essence of a free market exchange is that both parties come away
from the transaction better off than they were before the transaction, creating
a bigger pie for all…unlike a non-market economy with a fixed pie.
The thing is, is that people with an anti-capitalist stance
have usually never studied it. People
often mistake cronyism for capitalism.
It really bothers me when people use the term “crony capitalism”. Crony capitalism means that companies and
special interests, through their lobby and donations, have bought whatever it is
they want, and that’s not freedom.
OH: I once went on a trip throughout Eastern Europe
in 1992. This was just a few years after
the fall of communism. On my trip, I
visited a friend of mine in Hungary who was stationed there in the Peace
Corps. He explained once about how he
would give talks to people in the government there about the essence of a
market economy, and how profits could benefit everyone. After a lengthy talk, the people in his
audience would simply say – “It all sounds great – but profits are bad”.
BB: That’s what happens when people make their
decisions based on emotions and what they’ve been taught all their lives. In the Talmud, it talks about who is mighty –
the one who can control his emotions. When
you make your decisions based on your emotions, you’re being controlled by them.
OH: Ultimately, what do you think is the reason for
this book’s huge success and its ringing message? Do you think we’re in a time period where
we’re just ripe for it?
BB: A couple of things happened. One was that it gave people the permission to
be a mensch – to do what’s good and still make money. All of our upbringing, through negative media
stereotypes, taught us all the negative aspects of money.
My belief is that most people really are good people who
like to feel they are making a difference.
And most people will try to sell only what it is they truly believe
in. This book said: you can be a
good human being…and still be successful in business. It’s told in a story form, but there really
is nothing new in what’s being told. In
an economy such as the one we’ve been in, now is the time to find ways of
creating more value – and that’s not intuitive – it’s even a little counterintuitive
to what we’ve been taught.
The other reason the book hit hard was that a lot of people
were already doing what’s discussed in it when the book came out. When it first came out, I heard from
countless people (and a lot of them were good leaders), was that they were
already applying the principles described in the book when they started their
businesses, though they hadn’t yet read it.
OH: Briefly define the difference between a Go-Giver,
a Go-Getter, and a Go-Taker.
BB: A Go-Giver understands the shift of focus from
“I” or “me” to “you” or “other” and follows the 5 Laws of Stratospheric
Success. A Go-Getter (which is also a
good thing) takes action. A Go-Taker is
very “I” or “me” focused; feels entitled to take, take, take; and is not
focused on providing value.
Adam Grant, whose interview with me you can hear on my blog
site at http://www.burg.com/2013/04/give-and-take-an-interview-with-adam-grant/,
wrote an excellent book called Give and Take. In it, he discusses – along with several
other important concepts – the difference between a successful giver (what we
would call a Go-Giver) and an unsuccessful one.
He did a terrific job!
OH: Tell us if you would a little about what you term
“Elements of Value”, and how these can help anyone determine their true value,
especially if they have less than normal self-esteem, which can become rampant
in a downtrodden economy such as this.
BB: There are actually two concepts here. The first, Elements of Value, are the ways to
communicate the value you provide.
But before that, we need to talk about Embracing Your Value
– which means understanding what you personally bring to the table, as well as
your products. The 5 ways we talk about
doing that are:
1)
Excellence – There is no
substitute for doing things well with excellence. It could even include such things as
cleanliness.
2)
Consistency – This is key
because often people have good intentions, but are inconsistent in their
follow-through.
3)
Attention – It means asking
questions, or as Dr. Covey put it: “Seeking First to Understand”.
4)
Empathy – The interesting
thing about empathy is that people are all different, and you cannot always
truly put yourself in their shoes because you have not experienced anything
like what they have. But, even if you
don’t understand what they’re feeling, you can still understand that
they are feeling something (good, bad, etc.).
In my new book Adversaries to Allies,
coming out in October, I tell a story about how I recently had to go to a blood
lab, and was waiting in the waiting room.
An angry woman went up to the lady at the front desk and said “You lost
my test results, which is why I’m back here.
If this ever happens again, I’m through with this place.” The woman at the front desk said to her in a
cold, polite voice: “Please take a seat and we’ll be right with you”. All the patient needed at that moment was a
little empathy – somebody to say, “I understand, and I’m so sorry about this”.
5)
Appreciation – people do
need to feel appreciated. It’s that
simple.
When we talk about Elements of Value, you are looking to
find out the needs of your clients – and oftentimes they are a lot different
than what you think they are. As Debra
Davenport says in the book, “what does it mean to provide value?” You have to determine what are in fact, your
values.
OH: Of the 5 laws, the one that resonated for me
personally is the Law of Authenticity.
Could we get the Cliff Notes version of Debra Davenport’s story, and
what it takes to be your true, authentic, genuine self, which is not an easy
thing for most people?
BB: Debra had never been in formal sales before. She learned that as important as the skills
are, regardless of your field (just as in order to be a doctor you need a
particular skill set, so the same goes for sales), it’s all for naught if you
don’t come at it from your true authentic core.
Gandhi once said that the definition of integrity is when everything in
your life is in alignment. Authentic
people know that they need to continue to learn and to improve themselves. As the sages of the Talmud said, “who is the
wise person? The one who learns from
everyone.”
OH: Law 5 – The Law or Receptivity. What is the importance of focusing on giving,
but allowing yourself to receive?
BB: All the giving is great, but like breathing, you
have to breathe in, and breathe out.
If you don’t do both you’re going to create a blockage.
OH: Bob, thank you so much for your time today. Look forward to seeing you next time you are
in the Los Angeles area.
BB: Thank you.
