Regardless of the industry or market segment, there are true inspirational people that quietly go about their chosen work providing untold value to those they serve. One such individual recently celebrated a 25 year milestone in the financial services industry and was the inspiration for this particular blog post. Although he is not an official mentor to me , personally I draw inspiration from him because he is so humble and free of hubris or the big ego sometimes prevalent with so many top performers…

My friend Bob Burg along with co-author John David Mann have published a highly acclaimed series of books (3 at this point) using the term Go-Giver (highly recommended reads). Quite simply put ,you give more in value than you take in payment; you touch many lives with that value; you put other people’s interests first; you operate from a foundation of authenticity; and you allow yourself to receive.

Of course, while a Go-Giver doesn’t “give to get” but “gives to give,” they also know that doing this creates a benevolent context for success; the powerful seeds of goodwill they’ve cultivated will come back to them many times over, in the form of direct business and referrals.

 There are people  around us like Ray Simundson (a veritable Go-Giver) that are genuine however not as common today – old school values.  They give for the sake of giving, and are selfless. They approach people with compassion, and listen with real curiosity – a veritable breath of fresh air where so many are caught up listening to but one FM station – WIIFM (Whats In It For Me).

There are many paths one can take in building a professional services practise. Ray follows a path less often travelled. Men of real passion and unshakeable integrity are the humble heroes  I want to emulate. Humble, brilliant and focused on providing tremendous value to those they serve. In doing so, reciprocity just happens naturally!