The Go-Giver - book review

The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea, by Bob Burg and John David Mann.

 This short book is well written and easy to read.  Styled as a story, the obvious intent is to teach a concept - in this case that "giving" will result in more productive business practices and positively affect one's ability to accrue wealth.  There is quite a bit of reinforcement of this counter-intuitive idea that giving results in higher rates of return.

This one in growing list of short books which use the medium of a story to "unearth" and apply a concept.  This concept is always amazingly simple and yet the central character struggles to grasp the concept, usually introduced through meetings with one or more almost mystical (and highly successful) gurus, for want of a better word.

I am definitely not saying there is not some truth to the core concept of the go-giver, it is after all exactly what Jesus taught, albeit not for the purpose of manipulating wealth.  What I am suggesting about all such books is that they are fictional stories contrived to reinforce the main point.   The story steers the reader to the exact conclusions which the author desires, without benefit of exploring the contrary perspective, and definitely without the being encumbered with tedious research to support the concept.  The concept works because the gurus say it works AND  have become wealthy through the practice of the concept; what could be better than that? 

This reminded me a little of the "giving living" messages which some television evangelists preach with great passion.  "If you give to God you can expect Him to give back to you in abundance, and the more you give, the more you'll get, so write your check now and send it to my ministry.  The windows of heaven to open and pour down upon you."  Of course if you didn't receive the promised wealth, there were probably mitigating circumstances such as sin in your life.  God cannot be manipulated and giving to get is a fallacious theology, and, I suspect, a fallacious business philosophy.

Giving for the pure sake of love for others, because it is the right thing to do, without expecting any return, that, in my book is the real Go-Giver.