What Does It Mean To Put People First?

The power of “hello”

We know that smile is one of the strongest ways to convey how you feel about someone or something, but did you know it can be simple as just saying hello?

I started getting better results at work when I began greeting each person with a good morning and a kind word. Not only were people feeling more motivated and happier, they also seemed to take care of their jobs better.

When we say goodbye every day, we have an opportunity to leave a negative impression of us in others’ minds. Hello has a bigger positive impact than anything else.

The best way to start your day is by making other people feel welcome and wanted. If you do not make them feel comfortable, they will not perform their job correctly and you will lose credibility on what you are trying to accomplish.

Say hello fearlessly and without stopping to think about it. You’ll find that your productivity increases along with everyone else’s.

 

Create an environment of openness

Focus on being open with others, instead of appearing friendly or weak. Make a habit of saying “ what you really mean” and avoiding gaffes, especially when it comes to personal issues.

Everyone has something worth sharing – whether we are talking about our feelings, opinions, dreams, frustrations, secrets, or just everyday funny things.

Being able to share and express yourself is a way of showing how much you care about someone else.

When people feel they can trust you, they will naturally feel comfortable disclosing information that they might not otherwise tell you. You also want your friends, family members, colleagues, and others to feel comfortable coming to you for help or advice.

It’s all about them, not you.

The whole point of having friends is because they are interesting and special individuals who make you happy. Nothing makes a person seem less trustworthy than telling others their business.

If you talk about their business without permission, they won’t like you anymore. Also, the fewer details you know about someone’s life, the better.

Let others do their own thing, be their own person, and wait until you have permission to join their lives. Only then can you truly enjoy spending time with them.

 

Be a lifelong learner

One of the things that makes organizations more competitive is their ability to adapt to changes in the market and developments within themselves. The whole role of leadership is to help people through transitions, whether they are internally within the organization or externally looking toward it.

If you want to lead an organization, then you need to do two things: understand your organization and put people first.

You need to know what you’re trying to achieve and how you’re going to get there, but most importantly you need to work on putting others before yourself.

In order to lead, we all have to learn to be less self-focused and more concerned with focusing on other peoples needs and wants instead of our own.

When the going gets tough, the tough look after those who go along for the ride. Most leaders realize that you cannot always make decisions alone, especially when making them involves matters outside of your scope of knowledge.

That is why they develop teams around them made up of individuals who can bring different perspectives to aid decision-making. Without each individual member accepting this as part of their job description, the system will not function efficiently.

Consensus building is another important skill needed for leading. How you obtain consent is by asking questions and getting everyone's input, which takes time and effort! But in the end, it is much better than forcing someone to do something against his will.

 

Focus on the people around you

The way I see it, there are only two reasons we ever get upset or frustrated:

Because we aren’t focusing on what matters most to us, and

We aren’t being very self-aware.

More often than not, problems that we have is because someone or something was not put first.

Don’t worry about things too much; but when there is something in life that needs attention, don’t ignore it!

Focus on how you can improve any situation with actions you take, and make sure that others are getting our undivided attention by putting them first.

It will help you focus on the present moment and be more happy and contented.

 

Make positive memories

Now, let’s talk about how we made history in this election. You might have seen media reports of voters saying they wanted a candidate who would put people first. Well, I heard them say that. And what I heard was “I want someone who is competent and cares about others.”

Caring about each other is not just a nice idea; it is an indispensable ingredient for our success as a country and as a society.

If you don’t believe me, try building a relationship without taking the other person into account. You can’t. It doesn’t work.

Put yourself in the other person’s shoes before trying to understand their perspective. Know why they are doing what they are doing, thinking what they are thinking, and talking about things that matter to them.

By being aware of your own assumptions and perspectives, you will make sure that you are presenting information or arguments from another angle. This makes conversations more fun and creates a feeling of trust, which is especially important when relationships come around.

Trust is the glue that holds communities together, and trust between individuals forms the basis of human interaction. If you remember only one thing from this article, please remember this: The way we engage with each other is through communication and conversation.

 

Be authentic

People want to do business with people they trust; authenticity is one of the most important things you can show others. Being real and true to yourself is powerful, and because of it, people automatically feel more confidence in your brand or company.

When you are being honest and genuine, you build up trust inside other people that what you say is real. Your reputation then becomes something worth protecting which happens when you know you’re trusted.

By having respect for who you are and investing time into knowing yourself, you will find those qualities flourish in your life. You also take responsibility for how you treat people. In order to get people to like you, you have to like them first.

Know where you're coming from before trying to explain why you believe what you believe, or think what you think. When you make an effort to understand others, they usually respond by sharing parts of themselves too.

Being able to listen intently is a very valuable thing to be able to do. We all have different experiences, emotions, and beliefs. This guides how we see the world and other people – we are always interpreting what we hear and seeing items from our perspective.

It is much harder to fake an emotion than it is to fake a fact. So if someone says they are upset, you should ask about what they are telling you makes them feel that way, especially if they avoid the topic regularly.

 

Get straight to the point

We live in a fast-paced environment. Even more so today with technology as an extension of yourself. When you ask people “How’s your day going?,” they immediately pull out their phone and respond using text or call mode.

You can catch them breaking bad news over breakfast, then surprise them with an amazing deal at lunch. Or maybe they started off busy with work before having some time for themselves. By asking about the day first, you help get them into a good mood and feel like they can make it through the rest of their day without bothering them too much.

It also helps you understand what matters to them and what doesn’t. Now they can give your question their full attention because you know who they are and how they spend their money.

 

Speak slowly

When you talk, people will listen more carefully. Their mind will be focused on what you are saying instead of how you say it.

Mostly when you speak, you are doing one thing – telling someone something.

The way you say things plays a role in getting your message across but only half the battle. The rest has to do with the person receiving your information.

If you want people to pay attention to what you’re saying, we have to make it easy for them to get what you're saying.

Start with a short sentence or a phrase that gives away the main idea without wandering off topic. Then follow up with details that add clarity to the issue.

Getting straight to the point can help people feel comfortable talking to you which is always a good thing. People learn better when they feel relaxed and comfortable;).

When you talk, produce real examples rather than fictional ones. This helps people relate to you and what you’re saying.

People don’t like to hear about dreams or ideas that aren’t true. They find those types of stories uninteresting and untrustworthy.

We live in a time where politicians use inflated words and phrases to win arguments and individuals use emotional storytelling to convince others they are right.

 

Take care of yourself

If you want to be an effective employee, partner, or member of any team, self-care is the way to go.

If you’ve ever worked with someone who was clearly the leader, while you were just the support system for them, then you know what I mean when I say that their health and well-being is important.

You should have people in your life who are positive and contented individuals; people who feel good about themselves and who love and accept others. Self-care is an essential ingredient for success, happiness, and living a rich life.

We usually think of kids as being very easy targets for teaching self-care, but we need to start here too. Living healthy and happy lives starts from inside, and it is our responsibility to ensure we are healthy before we can expect other people to take care of us.