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Howdy folks,

Hope everyone’s having a good week.  Mine’s been decent so far.  Had another Birthday go by.  I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, haha.   Sometimes I still feel like a 5 year old seeing a giant playground for the first time.  At other times I wonder if I should get prunes the next time I go to the grocery store!  But life is good!  And I hope it’s good for you too.

So onto the Golden Business Rule.

We’ve all heard of the Golden Rule before, it exists in just about every religion and philosophy in the world.

It’s most famously and poetically (in my opinion) said in The Bible:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Call it Karma, or Sowing and Reaping.  It does seem what goes around comes around.  And we’d all like to believe that most people are kind and treat each other with respect.  While this is somewhat true, we’ve all had experiences of the opposite.   There’s definitely something to the Golden Rule.  And that’s true for a business as well.

The Golden Business Rule.

Business Ethics - The Golden Rule

Business ethics really have a black eye in the public image.  In fact, many political debates are happening right now based on the ‘morality’ of business.  We all know examples of misleading, corruption, or poor quality.  Yet MOST businesses run well and are incredibly important to our every day lives.   Most companies provide great services, employment, contribution to the community, and sometimes contribution to society, advancement, science, medicine, and the very things that make up civilization.  Yet, some companies seem to take away from those same things.

So what’s the difference between the good and bad?  Well, the answer is pretty complex, and I don’t claim to be an expert Economist, nor an expert Ethicist.  But, I do know that if a company stands with honesty, integrity, and commitment to the service or product they’re providing to customers, then they have a much higher chance of succeeding.  And not only that, but longevity in the marketplace.

Many people have spoken about this from industry giants like Carnegie, Rockefeller, Hilton and Walton, to thinkers and speakers like Hill, Peale, Covey and Hopkins.   The gist of their discussions is this:  If you lie, cheat, misrepresent, take advantage of, or produce shoddy product, you will fail.  Even if you find great success at first, you will ultimately fail.   Why?  Because like any personal relationship, a business relationship is built on trust and commitment.  If a customer trusts your businesses and is committed to repeating business with you and you cheat them in any fashion, it’s a violation of trust.  Which goes right back to the Golden Rule.   The Golden Business Rule states that you must provide a quality product or service to your customers, with integrity; the same as you would hope to find when shopping in your personal time.

Applying the Golden Business Rule.

Applying the Golden Business Rule is simple.  Just apply the Golden Rule.  That’s all.  The end.  Do unto others.  I’m sure many of you are familiar with the latest breaking news story.  Rapper Kanye West interrupting country singer Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at MTV’s Video Music Awards, to say someone else deserved the award.  He took the microphone from her hand and said R&B singer Beyonce deserved it, and gave the mic back to Taylor who was speechless.  Now, while West is receiving a lot of press (Twitter is on fire for two days now over this) it’s nearly completely negative press.  While Ms. Swift, 19 years old, had to suffer an embarrassing and sad moment, her press coverage is completely positive.  In the Pop-Culture and Music-Culture spheres, it’s the biggest story.  Taylor Swift has always been seen as a nice, sweet, honest artist.  And while Kanye West is an award winning successful artist, it seems like his career is taking a huge hit.  Some are not sure if he’ll have the same success now.    Kanye has apologized and he’s had a rough couple of years in his life, yet you can see how The Golden Rule had a part to play.   Do unto others.   Kanye’s negative press and possible half-ruined career is a result of his decision to rush the stage.  Taylor’s positivity in general has helped her career, especially in light of what has happened.

There are many more examples of the Golden Business Rule all over the place.  We all know it exists.  You can not consistently abuse trust and integrity and expect to gain success or to keep it long.

What each of us can do is simply live by the Rule.  Treat others, whether customers or not, as we’d like to be treated.

And I think most of us here, blog writers and blog readers, do that every day!

Thanks for all the positive feedback, comments and emails.  We appreciate every single one of you.

To success and the Golden Rule,

- Ryan Travis, writer and social marketer

www.MaxProSystem.com