Keith's comments put in mind the golden rule:
> As we deal with different societies, we discover the shades of what
> truth might mean in Japan versus the United States versus Mexico.
> When someone says they will do something that we have just
> requested, we need to adjust our expectations to the society or
> venue of the request. Otherwise, we will be constantly dissapointed.
The golden rule states -- Do unto others as you would have them
do unto you!
This is valuable only if the other person (whether in Japan, or
accross your street) wants to be treated the way we want to be
treated. It makes the basic assumption everyone wants to be treated
the same.
Consider instead the Platinum Rule:
Do unto others as they would want you to
do unto them! *
This may be the actual heart or original meaning of the golden rule.
If we treat people the way they want to be treated, it is much more
powerful way to work. The 'Direct' person doesn't want a lot of small
talk. They want to get right to the heart of an issue. The ' social
butterfly' needs the small talk, otherwise they feel used, abused or
empty.
The most powerful approach is to be flexible in dealing with every
person. That is when everyone, whether management or employees, work
best. It is the ultimate Customer Service, because it means we treat
everyone like we'd treat the customer!
Gary Scherling
Helping people help themselves
1-800-235-4833
* Platinum Rule is taken from Tony Alessandra's presentation last
week on The People's Network.
--GSCHERL@fed.ism.ca (GSCHERL)
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>