The Platinum Rule

The earliest use of the Golden Rule was in ancient Egypt, possibly as early as 2040 BC. The Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Many people aspire to live by the Golden Rule.

However, for nearly 25 years I have aspired to what today is called The Platinum Rule: “Treat others as they want to be treated.” The Platinum Rule takes into account others’ feelings and how they prefer to be treated and communicated with.

As Dr. Tony Alessandra writes: “The goal of The Platinum Rule is personal chemistry and productive relationships. You do not have to change your personality. You do not have to roll over and submit to others. You simply have to understand what drives people and recognize your options for dealing with them.”

I had a great mentor many years ago who taught me the importance of “mirroring” others in the workplace. Mirroring involves treating people in the manner that they wish to be treated and communicating with others in the manner that they wish to be communicated with…which is The Platinum Rule.