{"id":41020,"date":"2024-09-11T15:10:25","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T20:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/?p=41020"},"modified":"2024-09-11T15:10:32","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T20:10:32","slug":"is-it-time-to-abandon-the-golden-rule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/is-it-time-to-abandon-the-golden-rule\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It Time to Abandon the Golden Rule?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many of us were raised with the \u201cGolden Rule.\u201d The ideal was to treat others the way you want to be treated. The Golden Rule was applicable when we all lived in close-knit groups and shared the same lived experiences, religions, education, world view, etc. It\u2019s a one-size-fits-all approach to ethics and empathy.<\/p>\n

But in our increasingly diverse and complex world, our interactions are not just with people who are like us but with a far more culturally diverse workplace and marketplace. In fact, treating people the way\u00a0we\u00a0<\/em>want to be treated can cause mistrust and misunderstanding.<\/p>\n

It is time that we exchange the Golden Rule for the Platinum Rule, where the ideal is to treat others as\u00a0they\u00a0<\/em>wish to be treated.<\/p>\n

SELF-CENTRIC VS. OTHER-CENTRIC<\/h2>\n

The main difference between the two rules is that the Golden Rule is self-centric, while the Platinum Rule is other-centric. The Platinum Rule recognizes that not everyone wants to be or should be treated the same way. The Platinum Rule appreciates the unique characteristics and backgrounds of those with whom we interact. This requires people to be more self-aware, knowing how they would want to be treated, and then takes into account how others may want to be treated.<\/p>\n

The Golden Rule often is seen as being dogmatic and ethnocentric. One does not need to be an expert on all the dimensions of diversity (see \u201cDimensions of Diversity\u201d at\u00a0http:\/\/pubs.royle.com\/publication\/?i=88853&p=68<\/strong><\/a>). Simply asking how others would prefer to be treated is often enough to engender greater understanding and trust.<\/p>\n

INWARD VS. OUTWARD FOCUS<\/h2>\n

The need to focus on the Platinum Rule is more essential than ever. Partly due to COVID-19, we increasingly are working and living in silent isolation. Even when we are with others, we are looking down at our mobile phones. Our world view has turned inward. The revolution in social media and artificial intelligence (AI) has had a profound impact on our view of ourselves\u2014 what\u2019s important in our lives, and our social, political, and cultural goals and values. We have turned insular, wanting to work from home, under pressure to turn to our social media and into the comfort of our cocoons full of intoxicating self-gratification, where we see and hear what we and the unseen forces of algorithms define for us.<\/p>\n

The workplace also has become more inward. During the second quarter of 2024, only 31 percent of workers worked full-time in the office, according to\u00a0The Flex Index<\/em>\u00a0based on 6,000 U.S. corporations.<\/p>\n

Working from home is just one part of our turn inward. More students are studying from home. In fact, the number of students studying overseas is so low that it is considered a critical national deficiency in our understanding of other cultures. Studying and living overseas has been a key success factor for those wishing to succeed in the global workplace and marketplace. The Mormon Church\u2019s global success largely is based on sending young missionaries overseas to live within other cultures. A disproportionate number of successful U.S. business executives have had such experiences.<\/p>\n

For our organizations to succeed, there is a need to practice authentic empathy, which is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others from their point of view, not ours.<\/p>\n

PLATINUM RULE WORK APPLICATIONS<\/h2>\n