Chapter-by-Chapter Discussion Questions for The Go-Giver by Bob Burg: Chapter Four - The Condition

About this Series

This discussion guide is part of Rising Tide’s Fall 2025 book club, where we’re reading The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann.  If you’re just joining us, here are a few pages you’ll likely benefit from:

• Chapter One – The Go-Getter for an introduction on how to use these Discussion Questions ‍
• Book Clubs, Conversations, and Curiosity for why we started a book club for a technical team here

Chapter Four Discussion

Chapter Summary

In Chapter 4, The Condition, Joe if back in the office and we find him losing yet another customer. This, time, however, in an effort to test the First Law of Stratospheric Success (Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment), he guides the customer to a competitor who may be able to better fit his needs.

Discussion Questions

Use these open-ended prompts to guide reflection and conversation. Remember, there are no right answers!

• How did Joe giving the customer to Joe’s competition make you feel?
• How was Joe’s action representative of giving more in value than he takes in payment?
• Can you describe a time a person gave you more in value than you paid? How did that make you feel? 
• What are ways in your life that you can practice giving more in value than you take in payment?  

Rising Tide Input for your Consideration

• Success is about perspective. You can be successful by your own goals, and not standard expectations of power, money, and attention.
• Our friend and MSP Owner at Network Integration Specialists in Virginia, Doug White, mentioned that he's enjoying making automations for his customers and not charging extra, and how those actions spark unsolicited client replies like, “This is awesome”. Truly the kind of experience the next MSP will have a hard time matching!
• Give without scoreboard math. Community help, answering questions, volunteering, parenting: these are “long-tail” investments that compound in character and network, not just invoices.
• We're curious! Maybe Gus has layers. There’s likely more going on with him than the mentor archetype...let's file that for later.

About Rising Tide and our Book Club

Rising Tide helps MSPs and service-focused teams build better systems: the kind that align people with purpose. Every Friday at 9:30 AM ET, we host Rising Tide Fridays as an open conversation for MSP owners, consultants, and service professionals who want to grow both professionally, technically, and emotionally. In Fall/Winter 2025, we’re walking through The Go-Giver, chapter by chapter. If that sounds like your kind of crowd, reach out to partners@risingtidegroup.net for the Teams link. Bring your coffee and curiosity…no prep required.

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About this Series

This discussion guide is part of Rising Tide’s Fall 2025 book club, where we’re reading The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann.  If you’re just joining us, here are a few pages you’ll likely benefit from:

• Chapter One – The Go-Getter for an introduction on how to use these Discussion Questions ‍
• Book Clubs, Conversations, and Curiosity for why we started a book club for a technical team here

Chapter Three Discussion

Chapter Summary

In Chapter 3, The Law of Value, Joe and Pindar visit a busy Italian-American cafe and its owner/head chef/real estate magnate: Ernesto. Here, we learn The First Law of Stratospheric Success: “Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment”

Discussion Questions

Use these open-ended prompts to guide reflection and conversation. Remember, there are no right answers!

• Here, we find Pindar redefining phrases again. Ernesto says his hot dog cart was voted the City’s best hot dog stand. Pindar corrects: “Best outdoor dining experience in the city.” What does this difference say to you?
• Who do you think the Connector is going to be?
• Why did the words “clout and leverage” mean so much to Joe, specifically? What do you think the author is trying to say by having Joe repeat them over and over?

Rising Tide Input for your Consideration

• Part of giving is making people feel important. Ernesto’s real differentiator isn’t cuisine: it’s care. People remember how the place treated them more than what they ate.
• Give for the love of the game. Value isn’t a gimmick. When generosity is authentic (and bounded), quality compounds.
• The narrative keeps checking Joe’s assumptions (e.g., not realizing the chef is the owner). How do you feel about the point: perhaps value often hides in plain sight?
• Clout vs. leverage. Clout seeks recognition; leverage seeks outcomes. Joe wants both, but this chapter hints that trust is the real currency.

About Rising Tide and our Book Club

Rising Tide helps MSPs and service-focused teams build better systems: the kind that align people with purpose. Every Friday at 9:30 AM ET, we host Rising Tide Fridays as an open conversation for MSP owners, consultants, and service professionals who want to grow both professionally, technically, and emotionally. In Fall/Winter 2025, we’re walking through The Go-Giver, chapter by chapter. If that sounds like your kind of crowd, reach out to partners@risingtidegroup.net for the Teams link. Bring your coffee and curiosity…no prep required.

In By the [run]Book Episode 9, Connor and Robbie power through the rest of HaloPSA v2.2 — unpacking dozens of quality-of-life updates, automation improvements, and admin refinements that make daily operations smoother. From new calendar defaults and contract history tabs to long-requested rule enhancements and KB management upgrades, the pair keeps the banter light and the insights practical.

Perfect for MSPs, admins, and implementation teams who want to understand not just what’s new, but why it matters in real-world use.

Watch Now: By the [run]Book: Episode 9
For easier tracking, check out haloreleases.remmy.dev to filter and search HaloPSA updates by ID, version, and keyword.

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Added the “Other Uses” tab to email templates | v2.2 #909265 | 2:53

This new Other Uses tab shows every place an email template is used — from rules to mailboxes to notifications.

• Easier to audit dependencies and clean up old templates
• Improves visibility when editing or deleting templates

Added a new Ticket General Setting that adds a system Action to log when qualification matching occurs on a ticket | v2.2 #898706 | 3:42

A new system action logs each time qualification matching runs on a ticket.

• Tracks when and how qualification criteria matched
• Useful for auditing automation behavior

Added approval option to choose CAB based on custom field | v2.2 #896229 | 4:22

CAB selection in approval processes can now reference a custom field.

• Supports text or single-select fields matching the CAB ID or name
• Enables dynamic approver routing based on ticket data

Logged in Users can now save a draft of a Ticket they are logging on the Self Service Portal | v2.2 #884056 | 5:50

Portal users can start a ticket and save progress as a draft.

• Ideal for long or multi-step ticket forms
• Prevents data loss if users need to pause

Quote Revised workflow trigger has been added | v2.2 #883519 | 6:51

A new trigger fires whenever a quote is revised.

• Enables automated notifications or state changes on revision
• Complements existing quote sent and approved triggers

Runbook start authorization type of “Halo API Bearer Token” added | v2.2 #881366 | 8:04

Runbooks can authenticate via Halo API Bearer Token.

• Executes the runbook as the agent calling it instead of a system account
• Adds flexibility for API-driven integrations

Added a new setting to always default the calendar selection to the currently logged in agent | v2.2 #859262 | 9:29

Simplifies calendar management for agents.

• Automatically opens their own calendar first
• Reduces manual selection errors

Added the ability to bulk update the Next Review Date field on Knowledge Base Articles | v2.2 #858884 | 11:12

Administrators can update review dates for multiple KBs at once.

• Great for annual content reviews
• Keeps knowledge bases fresh and compliant

Knowledge Base Article fields are now available as fields to be shown when Approving/Rejecting on an Approval Process | v2.2 #857514 | 11:12

Add KB fields to approval forms for better context when reviewing changes.

• Reviewers see article metadata before sign-off

Added a new column to the MessageContent table to identify Subject, Body, and Footer components of email templates | v2.2 #855304 | 11:58

Improves data visibility for developers working with email template records.

• Makes debugging and reporting easier

You can now add Sales Mailbox emails to CRM notes of Clients, Sites or Users | v2.2 #844239 | 13:45

Sales emails can be attached as CRM notes to keep records complete.

• Centralizes client communications
• Improves visibility for sales and account teams

Added a new method for receiving stock on purchase orders | v2.2 #843072 | 15:10

Introduces SKU validation during stock receipt.

• Reduces manual entry errors
• Found under Items & Stock Control → General Settings

Change History tabs have been added to Contracts and Supplier Contracts | v2.2 #836482 | 17:27

New tabs track every edit made to contracts.

• Adds an audit trail for agreements
• Increases accountability in contract management

Added a call management setting “Continue calls after logging or linking a call to a ticket” | v2.2 #833694 | 19:19

Calls no longer end automatically when linked or logged to a ticket.

• Lets agents keep the call open for follow-up
• Avoids losing context mid-conversation

Charge rate restrictions now apply, based off of the ticket type, when logging quick time | v2.2 #823209 | 22:44

Quick Time entries now respect ticket-type charge rate rules.

• Enforces billing consistency across types
• Useful for projects and service billing

You can now add Attachments to Canned Text | v2.2 #822463 | 24:14

Canned Text can include file attachments.

• Great for sending standard documents or forms
• Reduces manual uploads

Introduced a ticket type level override for the “Show the Quick close option on the new Ticket screen” global setting | v2.2 #816120 | 25:09

Control Quick Close visibility per ticket type.

• Enforce processes where closure must follow workflow
• Keep it available for simple incident types

Added access control to PDF Templates | v2.2 #814057 | 27:08

PDF Templates now respect access controls.

• Limit who can configure or edit templates
• Non-admins can be granted permissions as needed

💬 Off-topic: LOG SITE VISIT THE RENADA WAY | 28:35

The team demonstrates Renada’s custom “Log Site Visit” action as a cleaner alternative to Halo’s arrive/leave process.

• Uses custom fields for distance and travel hours
• Simplifies reporting and expense tracking

Main Contact has been added as an option for Site Column Profiles | v2.2 #812754 | 31:03

Show the Main Contact directly in Site views.

• Helps identify key contacts at a glance

The “Team” field under Ticket information is now a hyperlink | v2.2 #807462 | 32:01

The Team label is clickable and opens the team configuration.

• Quick navigation for admins and team leads

You can now receive stock on all purchase orders linked to a ticket at once | v2.2 #801168 | 32:30

A new system use allows receiving all POs from a ticket in one action.

• Saves time in procurement workflows

Added option to map to the source field when using event management | v2.2 #799024 | 34:28

Event management can map incoming data to the ticket Source field.

• Makes integration data more traceable

“Add Note to Parent” is now available as a separate checkbox option in action configuration | v2.2 #798972 | 36:43

The Add Note to Parent option can now be combined with other system uses.

• Allows dual behavior without duplicate actions
• Fixes previous limitations for linked tickets

Added the option to default custom SQL single selects to the first value | v2.2 #795490 | 37:44

Custom SQL single select fields can now auto-populate with their first value.

• Simplifies form design
• Reduces empty field errors

Added the “User” field to Actions Field List | v2.2 #795488 | 40:41

A new User field is available for actions.

• Lets agents reassign tickets without custom runbooks
• Fills a long-requested gap in action configuration

The total time logged against a Ticket can now be used on the Rules and Approval Rules | v2.2 #789731 | 41:59

Rules can evaluate total time logged to trigger pop-ups or actions.

• Example: warn technicians after X hours worked
• Adds granular control to service processes

Various improvements to the ServiceNow integration | v2.2 #788388 | 45:58

Backend optimizations enhance ServiceNow sync reliability and speed.

You can now use Dynamic Distribution Lists for Nurture Mail Campaigns | v2.2 #776030 | 46:17

Mail campaigns can leverage dynamic distribution lists.

• Automatically add new contacts to email sequences
• Great for onboarding and training emails

Client-side pagination added to large reports to improve rendering performance | v2.2 #772884 | 48:38

Large reports now load page-by-page to avoid browser timeouts.

• Default limit of 1,000 rows per page (can be adjusted)
• Keeps reports responsive and stable

Option to index tickets based on ticket rules and ticket filtering options when indexing existing records | v2.2 #771405 | 51:05

Adds criteria-based indexing controls for AI and search.

• Re-score tickets to match updated filters

Improved holiday allowance tracking | v2.2 #770136 | 51:42

Different holiday types can have their own allowances and carry-over rules.

• Better alignment with HR policies
• Overrides available per agent

The criteria option “Not equal to” has been added for Checkboxes used in Ticket Rules | v2.2 #674405 | 52:46

Rules can now check if a checkbox is not selected.

• Adds negation logic for workflow criteria

Dollar variables ($) can now be used on Recurring Invoices when generating Invoices for the Notes and Reference fields | v2.2 #578765 | 52:57

You can insert dynamic values into recurring invoice notes and references.

• Automates naming with customer  or agreement details
• Speeds up recurring billing setup

Added the ability to add Charge Rate restrictions and overrides to Top Level | v2.2 #557573 | 55:08

Charge rate controls can now be applied at the top-level entity.

• Enforces billing consistency for suppliers or clients

Checkbox custom fields can now be used as triggers in lookup profiles | v2.2 #483346 | 55:48

Lookup profiles can now trigger based on checkbox fields.

• Expands conditional form logic capabilities

A setting has been added to Report configuration so that a Mailbox can be specified to be used for sending Scheduled Reports | v2.2 #459155 | 56:15

Choose which mailbox sends automated reports.

• Improves deliverability and branding control
• Configurable under Reporting → General Settings

Filters on dashboards are now multi-selects | v2.2 #432838 | 57:25

Dashboard filters support multiple selections at once.

• Compare multiple teams, agents, or customers
• Huge usability improvement for managers

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