The Golden Rule in The Relational Age

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“Treat people the way you’d like to be treated.”

The Golden Rule was officially named in 1604 by two Anglican theologians, Charles Gibbon and Thomas Jackson.Most religions subscribe to this rule, with variations in its phrasing.In Christianity, “Do to others as you would have them do to you unto you,” (Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31) is considered a rule of ethical conduct. This concept is also noted in other religions such as Buddhism, 560 BC: “Hurt not others with that which pains yourself” (Udanavarga 5:18).

“Treat others as you would like to be treated” is a popular adage in secular society, considered to be the gold standard of initiating and maintaining good relationships. It basically implies that people are wired the same and so appreciate or tend to like the same things. In this relational age, every interaction leaves an impression and how we initiate an interaction may determine whether the relationship will be short- or long-term.

However,with the basic understanding through the DISC personality assessmentthat people are wired into four distinct personality types(D-Dominant, I-Inspiring, S-Steady, C-Cautious),complying with the Golden Rule in the current age will be an epic failure because it has been scientifically proven that people have different needs,which demands that we relate to others accordingly. Is the Golden Rule obsolete? In my opinion,it is antiquated and of lesser value when compared to platinum, double platinum and rhodium, which also happen to be more valuable and precious metals.

To address our evolving understanding of interpersonal relationships, Tony Allessandra coined the Platinum Rule in 1996: “Treat people how they want to be treated.” In 2007, Bryan Williams took the old adage—and the Platinum Rule—a step further with the Double Platinum Rule: “Treat others the way they don’t even know they want to be treated.”Recognizing the effect that our individual actions have on every person we encounter, the Rhodium Rule, penned in 2010 by Tim Milburn, urges:“Do unto yourself what inspires the best in others.”

Today, we need a rule that fits our current age and understanding of personality types and the different needs of individuals. Therefore, I propose the Double Rhodium Rule™: “Know yourself and inspire others in ways they don’t even know they can be inspired without asking “how.” I believe the Double Rhodium Rule unequivocally trumps all of the aforementioned rules.— Dr. Liza Ekole2018

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