The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann is a parable offering insights into achieving success through a mindset of generosity and serving others.
The book centres on a protagonist, Joe, who learns life-changing lessons from a series of mentors.
In this article, you’ll find a workshop to help teams embrace The Go-Giver mindset — a philosophy rooted in creating value, fostering collaboration, and achieving success by serving others.
Teams often lose sight of the human connections and shared purpose that drive true innovation and fulfilment.
The principles from The Go-Giver offer a transformative approach to success grounded in generosity, authenticity, and mutual growth.
Despite their best intentions, many teams fall into the trap of prioritising individual achievement over collective impact.
They focus on taking profits, recognition, or resources without creating meaningful value.
This can lead to burnout, disengagement, and missed growth opportunities.
“Success in modern teams isn’t just about what you achieve; it’s about the value you create for others. Great leaders and teams don’t compete for success. They give their way to it.”
By participating in this workshop, team members will
- Understand how to create greater value for colleagues, clients, and the organisation by applying the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success
- Strengthen team collaboration through practical exercises that emphasise generosity, authenticity, and mutual support
- Learn how to foster trust and influence by prioritising others’ needs and building meaningful relationships
- Develop actionable ideas to serve the team and clients better, enhancing overall team performance
- Cultivate a growth mindset that embraces giving and receiving as essential components of success
Let’s get into it.
The Go-Giver Team Mindset Workshop
Duration: 2.5 to 3 hours
Audience: Teams of any size (ideal for 6–20 participants)
Workshop Objectives
- Understand the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success and how they apply in a team setting
- Explore how to create value through service, authenticity, and trust
- Strengthen collaboration by shifting from individual focus to collective impact
- Practise applying Go-Giver principles to real workplace situations
- Commit to one personal action that supports a more generous, high-performing team culture
Materials Needed
- Flipcharts and markers
- Post-it notes
- Handouts summarising the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success
- Whiteboard or digital whiteboarding tool (if virtual)
- Timer
Workshop Plan
Introduction and Purpose (15 min)
Activity: “Share Your Win”
Purpose: Set the tone by focusing on value creation and contribution.
- Ask participants to pair up and share one moment when they felt they truly gave value to someone — a colleague, client, or the team.
- After 5 minutes, invite a few participants to share their insights with the larger group.
Understanding the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success (15 min)
Objective: Get leaders to reflect on their personal leadership challenges and how they deal with adversity.
Briefly introduce each of the Five Laws:
- Law of Value
- Law of Compensation
- Law of Influence
- Law of Authenticity
- Law of Receptivity
Activity: Group Reflection
- Split participants into 5 small groups (1 group per Law).
- Ask each group to:
- Summarise their assigned Law in their own words.
- Provide an example of how it applies in a team setting.
- Each group shares their findings with the room.
The “Value-Add Sprint” (30 min)
Objective: Examine what makes leadership effective during tough times.
Activity: Value-Add Challenge
- Set-up: Break the team into small groups (3–4 people each).
- Task: Ask each group to design a creative idea, process, or small change that:
- Provides more value to their team, clients, or organisation
- Requires no additional cost or major resources
- Aligns with one of the Five Laws (let them choose which)
- Example Prompts:
- “How can we create more value for our clients in small, surprising ways?”
- “What processes can we simplify or improve to better serve our team?”
- Output: Each group presents their “value-add” idea in 2–3 minutes.
- Debrief Questions:
- Which ideas excited you the most?
- How would implementing these changes benefit the team and others?
Living the Laws: Role-Play Scenarios (45 min)
Activity: “Be the Go-Giver” Role-Play
- Present 3–4 realistic team scenarios where one or more Laws could be applied.
- Divide participants into groups and assign each a scenario.
- Groups role-play how they would respond using one or more of the Five Laws.
- Debrief:
- “Which Laws did you use, and why?”
- “How did it change the outcome of the situation?”
Reflection and Commitment (30 min)
Activity: Personal Action Plan
- Ask each participant to reflect and write answers to:
- One Law I want to focus on personally and why.
- One action I can take this week to add more value or serve someone else.
- One team behaviour I’d like us to adopt based on the Go-Giver principles.
- Sharing: Invite volunteers to share their commitments with the group.
Wrap-Up and Closing (15 min)
- Reiterate the importance of creating value, collaboration, and generosity within the team.
- Finish with a Go-Giver Challenge:
- “Over the next week, find one way to ‘give’ — without expectation — at work and notice what happens.”
Follow-Up (optional)
- Revisit the team’s commitments in a follow-up meeting.
- Share stories of team members applying the Five Laws and the positive impacts they experienced.
Why This Works
- Interactive Activities: Participants actively explore and apply each Law.
- Team Collaboration: Reinforces teamwork and alignment around a shared purpose.
- Practical Action: Ends with clear, actionable commitments that bring the Go-Giver mindset into daily work.
This simple yet impactful workshop helps teams shift their focus from “getting” to “giving,” fostering a culture of value creation, service, and authentic collaboration.
Conclusion
In a working world that often rewards speed, competition, and self-interest, it’s easy for teams to lose sight of what truly drives long-term success: the ability to create value, build trust, and show up with generosity.
The Go-Giver Team Mindset Workshop offers a simple but powerful reset — one that invites teams to work differently, not just harder.
By applying the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success, teams become more than a collection of individuals.
They become a network of support, influence, and shared purpose. And when that shift happens, results follow.
If you want a team that performs well and feels good to be part of, this kind of mindset isn’t optional. It’s essential.
See you next week.