How shall we deal with our fellow man? So many of our greatest joys and our greatest challenges come from our interactions with other people. Here are four tips for dealing with your fellow man:
1. Be Kind
Most people are inward-focused. But as you go about your day, you actually are encountering people one after another who desperately want someone to care about them. It’s easy to be kind. To share a smile. It doesn’t cost you anything and it makes the world better for the people you meet.
2. Help them
Science has observed one of the main reasons ancient humans were able to gain an advantage over animals despite our relative lack of physical prowess as compared to a lion or bear is our ability to work together. Noted entrepreneur Zig Ziglar said, “If you can help enough other people get what they want, you’ll be able to have anything you want.”
3. Listen
Our society is currently suffering from an epidemic of people listening to respond rather than to understand. How many fights start because one party is offended by something they think the other said? In sales, listening more than you talk has also been found to maximize one’s chances of closing a deal.
4. Say Goodbye
We don’t like to say goodbye to people, but sometimes it’s necessary. Dr. Laura says when you say goodbye to a person who’s bad for you you’ll only miss the person you wanted them to be. It’s an unfortunate fact of life that some people are beyond help. Liars, manipulators, and people who invalidate you (as opposed to constructive criticism) are best left in the rearview mirror.
Eric Eisenhammer is a political strategist and technology entrepreneur in northern California.