People: Relating to Others

“People: Relating to Others”
We have been looking at the 7 principles of success. The fifth principle relates to people. You have heard that leadership and management are two separate gifts; two different activities. While this is true for the most part, we must remember that “people management “is a vital part of leadership.  Henry Ford said, “You take your factories, burn up your buildings; but give me my people and I’ll build the business right back again” John Maxwell says that,” Success is 87% people knowledge and 13% product knowledge.”
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus said “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
He is saying treat others the way you want to be treated. How do you want to be treated?
         
       1. You want others to believe in you.  Its been said, “We tend to become what the most important person in our lives believes we will become” A counselor once told me the difference in premarital counseling and divorce counseling is that in pre-marital counseling the couple believes in one another, not so much in divorce counseling.
       2. You want others to care about you. Do we treat our subordinates as a means to an end or a vital part of the team?
       3. You want others to listen to you. There was an older gentlemen at a breakfast bar talking to the server behind the counter. A friend walks up and the man looks up and says, “she is listening to my story.” We all want to be heard and understood. Do you listen? Do you listen to understand?
       4. You want people to encourage you. James Kouzes in the book, “The Leadership Challenge,” writes about a survey his company took and discovered that 98% of workers felt they could do a better job if they were encouraged: 44% felt they never receive it. The most popular and followed Pastors in America today are encouragers.
       5. Lastly, you want others to forgive you. Forgiveness is the greatest gift we can give someone. Practice forgives and second chances. It’s the way God has treated you.
Next lesson: “Power: When Believing in Yourself is not Enough”