Greg Hiebert's You Can't Give What You Don't Have Is Still Required Reading Years After Launch
“I don’t think it would have happened without Scribe being a tremendous partner in that journey, to get me through the fear.”
Greg Hiebert, author of You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have
Greg Hiebert is the co-founder of leadershipForward, a coaching, education and team development business, and the author of two books with Scribe Media. Years after launch, CEOs have bought his first book for 500 of their top leaders, and it is still required reading in leadership programs.
Sixteen years on the goals list
Clip · Greg Hiebert on 16 years of fear · 29s
For 16 years, writing a book sat on Greg’s goals list. He never crossed it off, because underneath it was a fear he had not faced.
“I had on my goals list for approximately 16 years to write something, but deep down I had this deep fear that if I wrote something, no one would read it, and if they did read it, they wouldn’t like it.”
Greg Hiebert
In 2018 he decided he was done carrying it.
“So in 2018, I decided to change that resistance and fear and reached out to Scribe, and it was a phenomenal experience. And out of that, about nine months later, I had my first book, You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have.”
Greg Hiebert
“I think I just got so sick and tired of putting on my list something that I wasn’t really committed to do. Having a partner like Scribe in the beginning made it easy.”
Greg Hiebert
Keeping the book in his own voice
Clip · Greg Hiebert on keeping his own voice · 43s
Scribe walked Greg through an outline and paired him with a writer. Getting the voice exactly right took work, and Greg did a lot of the writing and rewriting himself. He is glad he did.
“I feel very good that I did a lot of the writing myself, because I wanted to make sure that the voice was as authentically me as possible.”
Greg Hiebert
The first chapter is the most personal. It tells the story of a boy who decided he was not enough, written by a man from a family of warriors, where every sibling served in the military and asking for help was something you did not talk about. Greg wrote it anyway.
“Matter of fact, being able to ask for help, I think, is one of the greatest gifts that you can exercise.”
Greg Hiebert
Still required reading, years later
Clip · Greg Hiebert on what the book still produces · 43s
The rest of the book lays out seven habits for bringing out your best self: a life of meaning and purpose, more positive emotion, deep relationships, daily gratitude, optimism, mindfulness and moving your body. Greg says there seems to be a universality to those habits.
“We’ll start a third year of this program in November and it is still required reading. I’m launching a program in October with supply chain executives and it’s a required reading for them as well.”
Greg Hiebert
Leaders buy it in bulk.
“The first book in particular, I’ve had CEOs buy it for 500 of their top leaders.”
Greg Hiebert
And readers find him. One healthcare leader came to Greg with 40 colored tabs in her copy.
“She bought another book for her 13 year old daughter. And she came back to me with a testimony that her 13 year old daughter loved the book and it made a real impact on her. Then her husband tried to borrow her book and she said, no, get your own.”
Greg Hiebert
“So that to me, that was just proof that this book is still a gift.”
Greg Hiebert
The book still pays, too.
“I got a royalty check this morning, and I get a lot of those on the first book.”
Greg Hiebert
Wallow or win
Clip · Greg Hiebert on choosing to win · 23s
Greg has faced prostate cancer twice, finishing 37 radiation treatments at Emory University in 2025, and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at about the same time. He has turned the habits from his book on himself.
“So my daily decision is do I wallow that I have Parkinson’s or do I choose to win?”
Greg Hiebert
Every night he runs what he calls his positive point system: five points for a day-worthy moment, 10 for week-worthy, 25 for month-worthy and 50 for year-worthy. He does not track the negative. On both visits since his diagnosis, his neurologist has told him to keep doing whatever he is doing. The point system may become his next book.
“I think my positive point system, that may be the third book in me and I’m not fearful of putting it out there.”
Greg Hiebert
A second book, and a better experience
Greg wrote his second book, Changing Altitude, with his business partner, Denny O’Neill. Putting two voices into one book, so a reader can tell whose voice is whose, took a skilled editor at Scribe.
“I would tell you my second book experience was even better than the first because I had a partner.”
Greg Hiebert
“I’m not sure we could have done that by ourselves without a very skillful editor.”
Greg Hiebert
Would he recommend Scribe?
Clip · Greg Hiebert on working with Scribe · 25s
For anyone who wants to write a book and feels the same fear he did, Greg’s answer is yes.
“Having someone who’s walked the path before can be enormously helpful, like a guide and a mentor. Again, I’m not sure I could have done what I did if it had not been for the support of Scribe.”
Greg Hiebert
Asked whether the investment in Scribe was worth it:
“Well, the first book was very worth it.”
Greg Hiebert
Books do not sell themselves
Clip · Greg Hiebert on why books do not sell themselves · 19s
Greg’s advice for new authors is candid. He believes he could have sold more copies of Changing Altitude by being more deliberate about sales and marketing. Someone on the Scribe team suggested getting his books into his local bookstore, a step he says he still needs to take.
“Whenever someone comes to me and says, I’m going to write a book, I go, that’s great. But just understand books do not sell themselves.”
Greg Hiebert
His one regret about writing is timing.
“The only thing I wish is that I had faced the courage to write something earlier, but I don’t know if I was ready to meet Scribe at the time.”
Greg Hiebert
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