Treating People Well - How Marvelous

We just finished reading Treating People Well by former White House Social Secretaries, Lea Berman and Jeremy Bernard. If you care at all about your personal brand this is the book for you. It is a quick read and is filled with wonderful anecdotes from their White House days that clearly illustrate how being marvelously well-mannered makes life more pleasant and productive, particularly in the workplace.

Being well-mannered means you have a generous heart and a kind spirit and you follow the Golden Rule of treating others the way you would like to be treated.

Treating People Well highlights twelve practices that create the foundation of being well-mannered: (1) confidence, (2) humor and charm, (3) consistency, (4) listening, (5) being calm; (6) handling conflict diplomatically; (7) honesty, (8) loyalty, (9) admitting mistakes, (10) dealing with difficult people, (11) having virtual manners, and (12) knowing that details matter.

Mastering these crucial yet basic practices will help make your life well-lived and reminds us of the quote:

“The best portion of a good man's life: his little,

nameless unremembered acts of kindness and love.” - William Wordsworth

Additionally, the authors wisely point out one basic rule on how to conduct oneself - "act as if the entire world is watching, and you cannot fail to do the right thing." In today's 24/7 always on, always connected world, it is sage advice, indeed.

The important skills in the book are worth learning, and as we have mentioned before, social skills are like any other skill - they are learned. If you take the time and effort you can learn them too. Treating People Well is a great place to start.

Have a marvelous week - Catherine