Episode 170: Focus on the Client, Not the Reward: Stories of Service and Gratitude

Bob Burg Reminds Us That We Cannot Inhale without Exhaling - We Cannot Give without Receiving

This conversation with Bob was full of inspiration and what I call *zingers*, those one sentence quotes that packs a huge motivational punch. The piece that seems to be most sticky to me is this idea:

Bob Burg podcast episode cover art with quote and image of Bob

Your goal in any situation cannot be about you, about making money, about getting the job, about closing the deal. The goal has to be service to others. It must reflect your humanity and align with your values, your goal is most valuable to you when it is about helping the person in front of you reach their goals or solve a problem.

The money, the contract, the job offer, those are the results - the reward - for meeting the goal, not the goal itself.

Read those last two paragraphs again, friends, and then give yourself some time to process them. And then try to apply this guidance in your next conversation. That's what I've been doing since we recorded this episode.

The final lesson in the book The Go Giver is one that I have to continually remind myself: The Law of Receptivity.

Bob Burg podcast cover art with images of five Go Giver books and quote

It's the final lesson in the book because the first four lessons involve learning to shift your mindset toward giving, toward understanding how to give in a way that is practical and truly helpful to others. You must learn those lessons before you can learn to open yourself up to receiving.

If you're ready to receive, dive into this conversation and enjoy!

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The Go Giver series is a collection of books full of inspiration. If you're curious about Bob and his work, be sure to follow him on LinkedIn, visit his website, join his Facebook community, and interact with him on Twitter.

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ABOUT SARAH:

"Uncovering the right stories for the right audiences so executives, leaders, public speakers, and job seekers can clearly and actively demonstrate their character, values, and vision."

Elkins Consulting logo with image of Sarah with her dog, Toblerone

Elkins Consulting logo with image of Sarah with her dog, Toblerone

In my work with coaching clients, I guide people to improve their communication using storytelling as the foundation of our work together. What I’ve realized over years of coaching and podcasting is that the majority of people don’t realize the impact of the stories they share - on their internal messages, and on the people they’re sharing them with.

My work with leaders and people who aspire to be leaders follows a similar path to the interviews on my podcast, uncovering pivotal moments in their lives and learning how to share them to connect more authentically with others, to make their presentations and speaking more engaging, to reveal patterns that have kept them stuck or moved them forward, and to improve their relationships at work and at home.

The audiobook, Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will is now available!

Included with your purchase are two bonus tracks, songs recorded by Sarah's band, Spare Change, in her living room in Montana.