Recently I have become friends with Daniel Roberts, the CEO of Friendly Human (a persuasive storytelling agency here in Atlanta that specializes in video and other media). One of Friendly Human’s core values is called the Golden Rule+ which means that you should treat others better than you expect to be treated. I really love this idea. But, more than that, I love how this idea plays out in how Daniel does business.

On my first visit to Daniel’s office a couple of years ago they had a mini-drone. I think it was the first time I had seen one in person and got to mess around with it a little. It was really fun and Daniel showed me all of the cool stuff it could do. It wasn’t long after being there I sent Daniel a lead for some video work. The project worked out well and I sent another potential lead or two. Shortly after that I got a package at my door. You guessed it, it was a mini-drone. Daniel had remembered how much I had liked playing with that little thing and bought me one as a thank you, instant best friends!

I already liked Daniel a lot prior to getting a thoughtful gift from him. I will confess, his thoughtfulness and giving nature made me like him more. It’s not really the gift that made the difference, it’s being treated better than I expected to be treated. I would have been happy with an email thank you. A phone call would have been a step above that. A thank you card in this day and age would be impressive. But, a mini-drone, you can’t beat that! Oh, except Daniel did beat that with another gift, but that’s another blog post.

I’m trying to implement the Golden Rule+ in my life by going that extra mile for my family, friends and clients. I also want to give better gifts to show people appreciation. How about you?