One of the most important lessons in life is learning how to treat others. Everybody knows the ‘Golden Rule’ but how many actually follow it?

The other day I read a quote from Thomas Stemberg, the founder of Staples Inc. where he said:

“Treat people right and they will eat nails for you.”

Of course we wouldn’t want our peeps to be eating nails, but I think the point is pretty clear.

In one of my companies, we’re going through the typical growing pains of building the business, attracting good talent, creating a good corporate culture, etc. But one thingI’ve found is that we get back from our people in proportion to what we put in. Sure, there’s a few that put in more and go beyond the call of duty, but there’s also a bunch that just do what they’re asked.

But even those people tend to perform better when we engage them and make them feel like a part of the team. We give them projects that excite them and also help them learn/grow, while benefiting the company.

In every aspect of my life, both personal and business, I have found that the best way to get what you want, is to try and give others what they want. Only through this approach of sharing and helping, can we all become better and reach our individual goals.