Happy new week Millenial Readers!

How well do you lead others? How well do you lead yourself? In your leadership or ‘followership’, what is the greatest value you have learned or continue to uphold? It is commonly said that no man is an island which goes ahead to say that we cannot live alone. How then do we live well with those around us?


While it may be human nature to treat people differently according to the situation, the highest standard for interaction with others is the Golden Rule, meaning you treat others as you would want to be treated. With some version appearing in nearly every culture around the world, the Golden Rule is the closest thing we have to a universal guideline for the treatment of others.


Valuing others, not for what they can do for you but simply because they are human beings, is the foundation of the Golden Rule. It is the key to success in many areas of life because most of the success depends on the ability to work with people.


No one likes it when others ignore them, take advantage of them, or hurt them. All people, at their core, are really very similar in how they want to be treated well, no matter their age, gender, race, or nationality. Take a look at the following four truths about how people want to be treated.

  1. Every person wants to be valued. Have you ever been made to feel worthless by another person? If so, you know how important it is to be valued by another human being. Deep down, all people want to feel they matter simply for who they are. When you value people, they can sense it.
  2. Every person wants to be appreciated. Everyone has something to contribute to the world. And all people enjoy it when their contribution is appreciated by others. You can encourage and appreciate others. As Donald Laird advised, “Develop your skill in making other people feel important. There is hardly a higher compliment you can pay an individual more than helping him to be useful and to find satisfaction in his usefulness.”
  3. Every person wants to be respected. “The respect of those you respect is worth more than the applause of the multitude.” Most people desire the respect of their loved ones, the people they work for, and their colleagues. It costs you nothing to respect others, yet it gives them so much: dignity, self-respect, and confidence.
  4. Every person wants to be understood. Understanding other people means extending yourself to them and meeting them on their level, putting the burden of understanding on yourself, not them. When you make the effort to get to know others, you may discover that they think or act differently because they haven’t had the advantages you have had, or they may be reacting to conditions that are beyond their control.

How well are we millennials and gen zs upholding the value of respecting and valuing others? Where are we failing and how can we start valuing others just because they are fellow human beings? Maybe just by saying hello to a stranger to make them feel seen?

Happy week!

Ruth Kimani ❤❤❤