Everyday Ethics: Do It to Others
Dr. David Rafeedie
Is it possible to sum up personal and professional ethics that lead to success with people in a sentence? While you are thinking about that, I want to tell you a true story.
There was a man, let's call him Bill (not his real name), who worked for a reputable organization and was a part of a team that prided itself in excellence in their work and responsiveness to their customers and clients' needs. That responsiveness was not just about speed, but it included the way they responded. They went out of their way to make sure their customers had a pleasant encounter regardless of the interaction's circumstance. The team was professional and warm.
Bill, by acclamation, was the smartest one in the room. Bill was the expert. He always is, regardless of the room. And he has been in a lot of rooms. As brilliant as Bill is, he had a problem holding on to a job. Everyone agreed his expertise was invaluable, but in all the organizations he belonged to, his toxicity was not worth what he brought to the table.
On the team, several values impacted how they did business. That would be true of Bill, too, although his values were obviously much different than the rest of the teams. Bill was not a team player. He treated people poorly and, at times, was incredibly angry and rude. Bill was the one exception to this organizational and team culture that valued people and how you treat them. Though he was the smartest one in the room, he was toxic to the team's culture and the organization.
I will ask my question again; Is it possible to sum up personal and professional ethics that lead to success with people in one sentence? There is a sentence that explains an ethical behavior that leads to success with stakeholders, team members, clients, or customers. Here it is:
Treat others the way you want to be treated.
You think that sounds familiar. That is good because it was coined a couple of thousand years ago by Jesus, and we know it as the Golden Rule. It works. When you treat others the way you want to be treated, it communicates crucial messages.\
It shows you value people, and people appreciate being valued. In today's environment, valuing people is a noticeable trait and behavior that will garner you "chips" in the workplace and elsewhere.
It expresses respect for who people are, and it shows them you accept them for who they are. Treating others the way you want to be treated is a non-judgmental behavior that will win you loyal friends and colleagues.
It reveals a depth of character, making it easy for people to trust you. Your team will follow you, and your clients will want to do business with you. When you treat people the way you want to be treated, the benefits accrue to you.
Treating people the way you want them to treat you is a leadership behavior of influential leaders worldwide. It is central to the principle of servant leadership. Check out this great article out of Penn State: https://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2013/03/27/effective-leadership-through-a-golden-rule-mindset/.
If you are not already treating people the way you want to be treated, what stops you? To answer that question, you must know yourself. You must be self-aware. Treating people the way you want to be treated is not some mind trick. It is not easy to live out and might require some behavioral change. And you can change your behavior! All of us can with the right help and the right tools.
I can help you find answers and develop strategies that lead to the behavior change you want to see in yourself. I have the right tools that will allow us to partner together to help you discover the what and the how you do things, and the why behind the behavior. Working together, we can identify and breakthrough any internal barriers that are mitigating your success.
Change takes work. Real change takes help. But change is not unattainable. Working with a coach, you will discover the improbable is probable, and what you thought unlikely is possible. Coaching will empower you to discover and attain the goal you set for yourself and do so with confidence. If you have a desire to change to make you more effective, email me at info@davidthecoach.com, or text or call me 520-709-1860, and let's start a conversation.
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