Breaking The Golden Rule – How Should We Incorporate Differences Into The Way We Manage People

The past week in class we spent a lot of time in Self-Reflection. The idea, which I strongly agree with, is that you should know yourself before you try to work with other people, not to say, manage or lead them. We did all sorts of activities aimed at discovering ourselves, including learning about our learning style (Reflector, Theorist, Pragmatist, Activist), Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to discover of types and preferences (I am a INTJ, by the way), etc.

The results were quite extraordinary and very interesting on the personal level. One the group level, I think we discovered how different we are from each other and the facilitators were able to demonstrate our differences in many ways. But I think that this is not the important lesson. If I had asked most of the class before today’s class to predict the results of the class, I think they would have probably described it quite accurately even if the numbers would not have been precise. We all know, in some level, that people are different and that there are different styles and preferences.

But the problem is we are wired in the wrong way to deal with that knowledge. We have difficulties when we see someone who is different than us. More importantly, we have difficulties imagining how he wants to be treated. So if we make an effort, it is usually to treat him like we want to be treated.

We all know the “Golden Rule” because it is widely know across cultures and religions. For example, all Jewish people know that The Sage Hillel formulated the Golden Rule in order to illustrate the underlying principles of Jewish moral law as follows:

That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn

This is a good general concept and at a religious (and maybe political) level it is a smart rule. But the problem is that if you move into the world of management, this well intentioned rule leads you to bad managerial decisions like much conventional wisdom. Because, if we do agree that we are all different it also means that we hate different things. This means, I may hate the way you like to be treated. And if I follow the rule, I will avoid doing just what you wanted me to do.

I know I made this mistake a number of times in my life. I tried to treat my teammates or followers as I wanted to be treated. But each of my teammates was (and is) different and unique. They don’t want to be treated like I want to be treated; they want to get individualized attention. The mad similar mistakes with building classes and presentations the way I wanted to see them. But different people have different learning styles.

In his book, “First, break all the rules“, Markus Buckingham describes what great managers do. One of these things is ignoring the Golden Rule:

The best managers break the Golden Rule every day. They would say don’t treat people as you would like to be treated. This presupposes that everyone breathes the same physiological oxygen as you. For example, if you are competitive, everyone must be similarly competitive. If you like to be praised in public, everyone else must, too. Everyone must share your hatred of micromanagement.

So, next time you get to work in a team or lead one, don’t make the assumption that although everybody is different, by treating them how you would want to be treated will be enough. You need to find out, how they would like to be treated for each and every person. Being a good manager is certainly not easy and whoever thinks so has certainly not been to Business School.

Introducing Kristin McGee: The Queen Yogini Of The West

Desiring to teach yoga to the world, he is said to have fallen from heaven into the open palms of a woman.

So goes the famous phrase describing Lord Patanjali, the founder of Yoga. Yoga is one of the most ancient sciences of the world which possibly dates back to 3300 B.C. It was designed for the purpose of cultivating a steady mind and a healthy body. It is believed that during the Golden Ages (a period known as Satya Yuga in Hinduism) every individual had the knowledge of yoga and people used to live for centuries together. All the great sages and warriors of the Indian epics were master yogis who had perfect control over their mind and body.

That is hardly the case in the 21^st century. The world today is dogged by poverty, disease, addictions and poor health. People today find it difficult to spare some time for themselves, let alone sparing time for their loved ones.

Things are however changing for the better as more and more people realise the importance of being healthy, because “good health is the one thing that money can’t buy“. The lost art of yoga is slowly making a comeback thanks to some great people who have been blessed with complete knowledge of this science. In India, yoga has been revived due to the efforts of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (and his Art Of living Foundation) and Swami Ramdev whose free yoga sessions on Television have managed to create a cult following of millions around the country.

In the west however it is rare to find any sort of “cult following“. Yoga is alive and kicking in the United States Of America, Europe, Mexico, Latin America and many other countries today, thanks to the efforts of a number of people, who have devoted their lives to spread the knowledge of yoga among the people of their country. One such great person is the master yogini, Kristen McGee.

Kristin grew up in Pocatello, Idaho and moved to New York City in 1994 to pursue a career in acting. Today however she is a fitness celebrity. “Oops“, did we say celebrity. Well, she is a celebrity but she gives that term a whole new meaning as she has none of the negative qualities that one associates with famous people. Kristin discovered yoga, while attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Kristin claims that she was hooked to Yoga after her very first session and could do a headstand in her very second class. After a long stint at studying yoga with some of the America’s finest instructors, Kristin created her own style that was an instant hit for its upbeat, refreshingly hip approach.

Kristin’s yoga workouts known as Power Yoga are highly intensive, power packed workouts that would make your gym sessions feel like a piece of cake (Power Yoga is said to be the secret behind SRK’s six packs and Kareena Kapoor’s zero size figure). Kristin is well-known for her MTV Power Yoga DVD and more recently her own Power Yoga DVD. While most yoga gurus devote their attention towards training the adults, Kristin teaches yoga to both kids and adults. She is very famous for her yoga workouts with young boys and girls and has even hosted programs for pregnant women. Her yoga workouts are a lot of fun and are highly recommended for the young people.

A yoga and pilates instructor since 1996, Kristin has also provided special yoga classes for athletes who participated in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Park City, Utah. She has made numerous appearances in books, videos, commercials, TV shows and news spots, including Sex and the City, the CBS Morning show and CNN Headline News. Kristin has also been featured in national print and television campaigns for MTV and Lady Foot Locker Yoga, has served as consultant to the Nike Goddess web site and currently is a contributing editor to Fit Yoga Magazine. If you haven’t seen Kristin in action before then checkout a brief preview of her Power Yoga DVD below.

We would soon be publishing an exclusive interview with Kristin McGee right here on DelhiPlanet, so stay tuned. If you wish to know more about Kristin or you wish to buy any of her videos then visit www.kristinmcgee.com.