“Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.”
~ The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann
In Brittany Leung’s debut post here, she explores how the basic rule she learned as a child applies more now than ever.
By Brittany Leung
I’m realizing that as much as there is to learn about business, there is one component that is foundational and critical to the success of any company.
This single element is so basic that most people overlook it and never apply it.
The Golden Rule
As children, we are taught the Golden Rule in which we are told to “treat others the way we want to be treated.”
We learn to empathize and to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. Through the eyes of a child it is hard to understand why they should consider the needs of others before their own. And, if we’re honest, as adults we all struggle with this to some extent as well. Putting others first can often be rather counter-intuitive, even for the nicest of people.
I believe it is impossible to separate one’s business life from one’s personal life. And I don’t mean in regards to work-life balance.
How a person treats their spouse, parents, and friends says a lot about how they will treat their clients.
Shifting Your Mindset
In order to successfully and consistently treat others the way we would want to be treated, there must be a shift in mindset. Our actions and words come from the overflow of our beliefs. So if I believe in my mind that someone is of highest value and deserving of respect, I will treat them in a way that reflects this belief. Think of how your encounter with the Queen would differ from that of the neighbor with ten thousand dandelions and weeds protruding all over their lawn- and as a result, yours.
This is all to say that something powerful happens when we shift our mindset from being self-focused to others-focused.
We can’t assume that we know the intentions of others because we don’t know what they’re going through or what their day has been like.
- What if we gave people the benefit of the doubt and assumed that they had the best of intentions?
- What would happen if instead of thinking of new ways to get our clients to buy more from us, we began to think of ways to genuinely help and serve them?
- How would our business change if we looked to give more than we looked to take/receive?
- What would our world look like if we actually treated people the way that we want to be treated?
There is a reason why we teach our children the Golden Rule. Someone older and wiser put this to practice and found that putting others first actually ended up working to their benefit.
In essence, we reap what we sow, whether it is in business or otherwise.
About Brittany Leung
Brittany is the Business Operations Manager here at Sunwapta Solutions.
This role includes marketing, sales support, content creation and helping our clients grow their businesses.
She enjoys cheesy jokes, cooking & baking, being active, and learning new things.
Brittany is a notorious multi-tasker and is always (unknowingly) on the lookout to find ways to do things better, quicker, and more easily.
