What lessons can we learn from our pets that we can apply in leadership? We refer to them as human’s “best friend” so surely they have characteristics we admire and can emulate.

The one I think is most relevant to leadership is authenticity. They are who they are!

Most managers want to set their new hires up for success, but it’s truthfully a time-consuming endeavor that can easily get short-changed. If you struggle to get onboarding to the top of your priority list, here are some things to consider…

We’re bombarded with messages of appropriate behavior and expectations throughout our lives. It can become challenging to separate what’s authentic to us versus what’s been ingrained in us.

Teasing out true authenticity may seem unnecessary; however, authenticity is critical when applying the Platinum Rule to your leadership style.

I had a training manager who was one of nicest people I’ve worked for, and also one of the worst managers I’ve ever had. He was constantly chasing perfection in our new hire program for the national sales force.

As leaders, we often have a vision for the outcome of our team’s work. But we need to be open to alternatives that may not necessarily meet our standard of “perfection” but still meet the goal while keeping our team members involved and inspired.

I’ve had relationships where I felt unable to help someone get to a better place, and a couple of those were with underperforming employees.

As leaders and as caring human beings, our hearts can hurt a little when we see someone making decisions that don’t appear to be in their best interest. With employees, we’re limited with the options we have to help them.

Finding time for professional development is a big challenge. It feels indulgent to prioritize learning over getting a project done or serving customers. However, deprioritizing professional development may eventually lead to your team slipping below industry standards and producing mundane, uncompetitive work that erodes their reputation.

In my first management role, I had a mentor who believed that personal lives should be separate from work lives. He felt it was important for managers to be impersonal with their teams to avoid the perception of favoritism, to prevent employees from expecting special treatment, and to keep from making emotional decisions. I took this advice to heart and focused on supporting my team to the best of my ability in a strictly professional way.

Most of us learned some version of the Golden Rule in childhood – treat others as you would like to be treated. This lesson is carried into adulthood where we’re encouraged to apply it in our careers and personal relationships. While it seems altruistic, it’s really just focused on what we want rather than what others want. That’s where the Platinum Rule comes in.