“ "The Golden Rule" is a principle that suggests treating others as you would like to be treated. Its origins can be traced back to various ancient cultures and religions. Variations may differ slightly in wording but share the fundamental idea of treating others with kindness, empathy, and respect.”

Not long ago I listened to a presentation by a gentleman who has travelled to every continent on the globe.

He worked with impoverished communities in third world countries to help them build primitive but self -sustaining infrastructure as simple as digging wells, to building schools, to helping form small businesses as a source of income to alleviate dependence on unreliable or non-existent outside resources. Upon returning to Canada, he turned his focus on our own indigenous people and their plight within our wealthy country.

Realizing the snail’s pace at which the Canadian government moved, he took it upon himself to seek financial help from large corporations as well as many different religious groups. In doing his due diligence to learn about the many different religions in our country, he discovered a common belief held by all of them. Every faith embodies The Golden Rule, treating others as one would want to be treated by them; in other words, Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You.

Isn’t this exactly the way that we as business owners and leaders should conduct ourselves in our businesses? The way we want to be treated as a client is exactly the way we should treat each of our clients.

In order to do this, we must embark on a journey of self-discovery; we must, however difficult, identify and unmask any inauthenticity in ourselves. We have to move from a place of self-centredness to understanding on a higher level and realize that we are only a step in a grand plan. We must also accept others as they are, even when we don’t know whether or not they are being their authentic selves. Regardless of what their beliefs are or how they live and behave, they should be treated as we would want to be treated.

I have a friend who is a renowned speaker, who has travelled the world to bring his message of “acting in third gear” to his audiences. Acting in third gear means living and giving without any expectation of reciprocity. He does not profess to be a religious person; however, lives his life on the basis of treating everyone equally, with respect and acceptance regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or social status. “The 3rd Gear Methodology was created to inspire diverse organizations and teams of all sizes to succeed in improving servant-leadership, networking, employee engagement, sales, innovation, change management and mental health.” Acting in third gear must be the basis of building client relationships.

The money will follow.

Do we follow fads or try to fit into the spirit of the times? If so, can we say we are being true to who we are and what we believe in? Do we as business owners put ourselves on a pedestal from which we think we can direct all aspects of our businesses or, are we open to asking for external, objective help; whether, from a mentor, a friend, a counsellor, a business professional or business coach? Can we offer our genuine selves to solve our clients’ problems if we don’t accept our own limitations?

We are each unique individuals with our own sets of talents and deficiencies. Once we understand and accept this, the way we live and work will allow us to discover spiritual peace which in turn will motivate us to help our clients with authenticity.