We thanked him and said we were curious how his team uses the book’s ideas at work. Here is his reply.

The Go-Giver is the single most powerful book on the market. I read it about a year ago and have ever since been spreading the word aggressively, in both my personal and professional life. In terms of impact I’ve seen this book have on those around me, two specific stories come to mind.

As background: I work as a technical sales representative for Ashland Inc., a Fortune 500 specialty chemicals company. My sales territory is covered by a team of five people. Earlier this summer, I introduced the book to four out of the five people on the team. It was amazing! After reading the book, each of them began to reference the book when making decisions.

For example, my supervisor was working recently with a customer to improve the safety of their facility. The customer had asked that we provide them with a piece of chemical feed equipment that added to the safety of the facility. The issue was that the equipment would severely cut into the profit of the chemical being provided. Normally, my supervisor would have insisted the customer pay for the equipment; however, in this instance he decided to give it to them. He told me that the pivotal point during the negotiation was when his mind started recalling the story of Pindar and Joe in The Go-Giver.

The second story involves the inspiration that The Go-Giver has given me and two of my colleagues, James Morin and Matt Ciampa. After reading the book, the three of us decided we wanted to find a macro way to be a connector and give to a cause that we are the most passionate about. The result was the creation of the UMaine Business Challenge (UBC), to be held annually starting in the spring of 2012.

The UBC is a one-day business competition with the goal of giving collegiate entrepreneurs the support to transform their business dreams into a reality. In parallel, the competition strives to contribute to the long-term growth of Maine’s economy and the mission of the University of Maine as a partner with the state of Maine. We feel that this competition clearly embodies all five Laws of Stratospheric Success, and would not have been created without the inspiration provided by your book.

Owen is too modest to mention this, but we will: a recent graduate of the University of Maine, he also served there as student body president (serving nearly nine thousand students) and concurrently CEO of the University of Maine Student Government, where he oversaw a budget of about $800,000 and had the responsibility for creating a shared vision and leading an organization of seventy-five people. Here’s what one of those seventy-five says about him:

We have a feeling this young man will indeed be executive of his own company!

I’ve been working in the military for about three years now, in the demanding aircraft maintenance career field. (You’d be suprised how much pressure we get to ensure aircraft get off the ground.) Nonetheless, this book flipped my world upside-down. At first I thought it was simply too simple and I thought I had people figured out — I was sure everyone was selfish and greedy and would take my advantage of any kindness offered. But after I read your book and tried to apply these very simple yet profound principles, I was pleasantly suprised. As I started to take the initiative to go the extra mile, people truly and genuinely took notice.

I found a little poem that summarizes my experience:

“When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.

“Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation … and I could indeed have changed the world.”

Now, I am not an old man (in fact, I am only 25), but I found this poem to be spot on. This kindness has spread like wildfire, and I am happy to see these results.

I manage about 240 people and directly supervise eight individuals. But now, as the military world goes, I’ve been reassigned to a new job across base and soon I will be departing to my next duty station. As I was thinking of something to give my team as a sort of going-away present, I could not think of a better gift than The Go Giver. Even though I live in a very disciplined workforce, I have found charisma has gone a long way. What better way to say thank you, than to pass this book along to my team here at Dover Air Force Base.

I’m sure you get things like this all the time, but I just thought I would write you this quick story (which has turned out to be a bit longer than expected) so you can see the impact that this has had on my life.

Very respectfully,
Jordan P. Healy, 1LT, USAF
Executive Officer, 436th Maintenance Group

About a year ago, Pete gave Claudia a copy of The Go-Giver and wrote a note on the first page: “Always be a giver! Love, Dad.”

Pete attached a copy of Claudia’s speech, and we wanted to share it with our Scrapbook readers:

“Always be a giver.” This quote was etched inside a copy of the self-motivating bestseller, The Go-Giver, a gift from my father. After being given the book, I initially tried to make sense of the vague advice written on the title page and wondered what relevance this book had in my life.

A few days later, I decided to read the short parable about a young man yearning for the secrets of success. After meeting an older and wiser mentor, the novice entrepreneur quickly discovers that a true sense of accomplishment is yielded by giving to others.

After reading, I briefly reflected on the positive message the book conveys, then placed it back on my shelf, where it would begin to collect dust. Not until recently, however, have I blown off the cobwebs covering the book and thought about the significance its message communicates:

We can attain success by giving and sharing with those around us.

Friends, family, and my fellow 2011 Cabrini graduates, we sit here today each possessing an abundance of talents and wisdom acquired throughout our lives and education. Whether you are 22 or 92, you have gained a wealth of information and experienced events that have provided you with valuable knowledge. But let me ask, what would our knowledge, talents, and life experiences be if we did not give or share them?

If we did not share these things, they would collect dust like the book on the shelf my father gave me, and benefit no one. Your everyday actions and choices can translate into success through the giving to others. Career choices and degrees can be thought of not only as titles or menial jobs, but as a means to use your knowledge to help those around you.

Consider yourself more than a teacher, but rather an individual seeking to educate the minds that dictate our future. Consider yourself more than a business expert, but rather a person who provides the skills needed to create a productive enterprise for the next generation. Consider yourself more than a doctor, nurse, or healthcare professional, but rather someone who discloses what they know to keep the bodies and minds of humanity healthy. Consider yourself more than a social worker, lawyer or one who enforces the law, but rather an individual who gives their talents to maintain a peaceful and just society.

Your accomplishments, no matter what profession or career you decide to pursue or already pursue, can be built upon a foundation of generosity. Know that you can attain true success by sharing the wonderful gifts you possess and by always being a giver.

So, guests and Cabrini Class of 2011, I would like you to join me by not just doing something extraordinary, but by giving something extraordinary.

After reading The Go-Giver, our first call to action at Pizza Gallery & Grill was something we call “Mondays Matter.” Every Monday, our pizza and pasta bar is half-price, and all our gourmet pizzas and calzones are half-price — and they’re staying that way every Monday until unemployment comes down.

We followed that with “Take-out Tuesdays”: every Tuesday, any pizza or calzone take-out order goes out at half price. Again, until unemployment in our area goes back down.

We value the true meaning of restaurant, which means “to restore,” and we wanted to do something to help restore our community.

And wow, has every one of the Five Laws come true!

Law of Value: We are definitely giving more in value (our incredible pizza & pasta bar, gourmet pizza & calzones) than we are taking in payment (half-price until unemployment goes back down under 10 percent).

Law of Compensation: We have more than doubled our guest count on Mondays (a 100 percent increase) and have added more staff to make sure we are still providing our excellent service.

Law of Influence: We are intentionally looking at our community’s best interests first, and genuinely doing so because of the unemployment factor.

Law of Authenticity: At PGG, we are in the people business. We knew it was important to meet our guests at the door, especially on this unemployment community service day, with genuine hospitality!

Law of Receptivity: Our community has been sooooo grateful. Our slowest day of the week is now our second or third busiest day and the rest of our week has increased as well.

It is a true blessing to serve others’ needs with an incredible “dining experience” — as it says in the book — at Pizza Gallery & Grill!