Business Tips: Apply 'The Platinum Rule'

I’ve been reminded lately of the Platinum Rule.

Above and beyond the Golden Rule of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” the Platinum Rule reminds us that it’s even better to “do unto others as they would want done unto them." Not what you would want, but what they would want. 

I’ve recently worked on a project where the motivations for participants were quite varied and, in some cases, very different from mine. The project leader, recognising this, did a great job making sure we all felt valued.

She gave us small gifts for participating and treated us to a special celebration of success. These are things I didn’t particularly need, but some of the other team members did. And these weren’t offensive to me or otherwise de-motivating, so it was the right thing to do for the benefit of the whole team.

However, on another recent project where I was the team lead, I forgot to think through the best way to value each team member and, frankly, I treated them all by the Golden Rule — as I would expect to be treated. I did NOT follow the Platinum Rule, and it didn’t work out very well. I didn’t bring my customary A-game.

How many times do we treat our employees or others we work or volunteer with as we would want instead of how they would want?

To be clear, I don’t believe we need to overthink every little action or interaction, but I do advise that we consider the driving forces for each of our team members and do our best to enable each one to feel valued. I’m always amazed how much I’ve learned (then forgotten) to use. So please take a lesson from me and use the Platinum Rule. I think you’ll like the results.

In Summary

•  Reconsider the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

•  Apply the Platinum Rule: Do unto others as they would want done unto them.

•  Different people have different motivations, so they will feel most valued when you use the Platinum Rule.

I hope this helps your business be outstanding.

One more thing before you go......I would like you to do one important thing for me - spread the word about this article.

That is all - 

David

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Powerful Sentences That Can Change Your Life

A sentence can change your life. That sentence generates a thought and the processional effect of that sentence can change your life. The best amongst us are able to sum up an enormous thought or concept in just a few simple words.

Linger on the following quotes to generate a thought that can get you up and moving and change the way you think. Delight in the purposeful brevity of the sentence. Pure magic!

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.

Albert Einstein is often lauded as a genius and usually we think that he must have done everything perfectly. However, he would have been the first to admit that he made plenty of mistakes, since he was always trying new things and thinking new thoughts.

Works best when you want to take advice from a literal genius and throw yourself into the arena of life. No more sitting by the sidelines afraid of getting it wrong. Dare to try new things and be ready to make lots of mistakes along the way.

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.

Douglas Adams wants us to know that things might not always go the way we planned, but that the universe might have bigger plans for us than we can comprehend. It’s much more powerful to leave a bit of planning up to the bigger picture instead of thinking you need to control every detail.

Works best when you feel like you’ve ended up somewhere you’re not supposed to be. It’s easy to think we know all the answers, but sometimes life has more important plans for us, so try to consider that you might be right where you need to be.

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

Maya Angelou is beckoning you to tell your story with one simple statement. She seemingly had no trouble telling her story, but she must have gone through a period of time when she had a story inside her that just needed to come out.

Works best when you have an amazing story that could enrich the lives of others but are not sharing it out of fear or any other reason. It can be therapeutic to let your story out and see what other people take away from it.

I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.

Mark Twain has phrased it so eloquently that worrying is pretty inefficient. The vast majority of things we worry about never actually happen, so it’s best not to worry at all since all that matters is what really happens, which is a fraction of what goes on in the worried mind.

Works best when you’re overcome with worry, doubt, or dread. Just remember that most of that stuff isn’t even going to happen, and if it does you suffer twice.

It is better to know how to learn than to know.

Dr. Seuss is known for his quirky hyperbole, but this one is a sentence that is worth reading a few times. In a world where every answer is at your fingertips thanks to computers and smartphones, it truly is a great time to be alive and eager to learn.

Works best when you’re wishing you already knew something and are getting frustrated at the idea of learning it on your own. Instead take delight in the fact that you know how to learn, and that’s really all you need in life.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Eleanor Roosevelt gives the dreamers of the world solace and reassurance that it is good to dream and create the future the way you see it. It’s sometimes hard to stay true to yourself and keep your dream alive in an unforgiving world, and this one sentence really helps.

Works best when you want to get inspired to follow through on your dreams, and get optimistic about the future. If you’ve lived too long thinking that you’re just a dreamer and things won’t work out, this is an uplifting quote.

If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.

Marc Anthony has a pretty good point here, and normally we associate work with doing things we don’t really enjoy, which is why we expect to get paid for it. When you shift the energy around so that work feels like play and you start enjoying what you’re doing, everything changes.

Works best when you’ve been wondering what it’d be like to be on Easy Street and never have to work again. You can have that right now if you start doing the things you love and getting paid for it.

Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can do.

John Wooden is calling us out on one of the most popular excuses out there, and that’s on not moving forward because of a perceived limitation in a particular area or field.

Works best when you’ve been getting down on yourself for not being able to do something, and using it as an excuse for not making progress. Focus on what you can do and on increasing your skill set en route to your goal.

I hope this helps you to be outstanding.

One more thing before you go......I would like you to do one important thing for me - spread the word about this article.

That is all - 

David

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Develop Better Focus by Daydreaming

But there is a trick to doing it if you want your brain to benefit.

Letting your mind wander may actually help your concentration, suggests new research from Cornell University.

Here’s why scientists think that: In a study, participants matched photos of celebrities more quickly and accurately than they did for pictures of anonymous people they didn’t recognize. 

The celebrity pictures sparked the activation of long-term memories in the study participants. This boosted the participants’ short-term memory performance, which was also associated with greater activity in the brain region that’s involved in things like imagining or reminiscing. 

In other words, thinking about certain moments from the past can help you crack present problems. “We’re able to use information from our long-term memory to solve the task at hand and succeed at it even better,” says study author Nathan Spreng, Ph.D.  

Previously, neuroscience experts believed that all daydreaming squashed your focus and hindered your performance. And that’s still true if your mind wanders way off course—like if you start musing about what you did last weekend when you’re proofing your sales figures for errors. 

But if you summon up a long-term memory that’s relevant to what you’re working on, you can actually help your performance, says Spreng. Going over your sales stats? Let your mind wander to that mistake you caught on last quarter’s report.

I hope this helps you to be outstanding.

That is all - 

David

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