Another characteristic about successful leaders is they give back more than they are given. You’ve heard the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?” That seems fair, right? In short, this rule is about treating others the way you want to be treated. The problem with that standard is that it’s only fair. In other words, if someone wrongs me, I should wrong them back. If someone does something nice for me then I need to do something nice for them. It’s potentially good for good and bad for bad. To put it another way…treating people the way you want to be treated only works when other people want to be treated that way. That doesn’t build great relationships.
Successful leaders go beyond the Golden Rule and practice the Platinum Rule of “Treating others the way THEY want to be treated.” They go beyond being fair. People who succeed in leadership and life don’t go around getting even or settling the scores. They do good for others even when it is not deserved. If your a person of faith, that’s what the “Good News” is all about. Successful leaders give more than they are given. As we have discussed before, relationships are some of the biggest challenges we face in life. If we practice treating others the way they want to be treated, then our relationships will grow and flourish.
If our goal is to make things better for others, then others will follow our example. Just think if we all practiced this principle. If our minds were always set on helping others and doing whats best for them, we can change our world one relationship at a time. That might seem like pie in the sky thinking, but people will follow you when your willing to give more than you get.
Have an awesome day.
