Golden rule for your career

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

I'm sure everyone has heard of the Golden Rule.  It teaches us how to happily coexist with people around us.  Treat others with respect, and it comes right back at you from them.

It is the basis for building trust with anyone.  Offering generosity and good will are the best ways to build trust, and based on that trust other wonderful things happen.  Communication, collaboration and execution all become easier once you have the trusting relationship with the person.

In a professional relationship, treating each other respectfully is a good start, but the focus is little different from non-professional relationship.  From a professional standpoint, everyone has one goal in mind.  We all want to be successful at what we do.  We want to get better at what we are doing.

How to build trust

Trust is the foundation that allows any team to work together.  Without trust, there won't be any team work. Everyone will be acting to maximize their own interest, and shared goal will take the back seat to each team member's individual interest.

Back when I was at college, I used to commute to classes.  One day as I was walking toward my car in the parking lot, a woman approached me.  She greeted me and told me that she ran out of gas.  She asked whether I could lend her some money.  She looked like a student.  I seemed to remember that she had her backpack and even asking me to share my number so that she could repay me.  I trusted her, and gave her $10 without asking any question.  She never called back.

For some reason I ended up trusting her.  She seemed genuine and believable.  But if someone else approaches me the same way in the parking lot, I will remember this and hesitate to trust someone asking for gas money.

How can we build someone's trust?

Chinese character for trust is made by combining
person and word character.  It's our words
that inspire or lose trust.

Safe Facebook = Clean Coal?

There have been lot of discussions around energy recently in the aftermath of Fukushima nuclear disaster. Especially there have been increasing talks about clean burning coal technology and its hopes and reality.

I don't know about you, but when I hear clean coal, I know I have to pay extra attention to actual scientific claim to differentiate marketing and political spins from scientific facts. I get the similar reaction to late night TV ads like no exercise weight loss drug. Something smells funny.