Breaking news... how to succeed in life

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Flat out. My favorite big biz exec is Colleen Barrett, the President and CEO of Southwest Airlines. What a wonderful a role model. I taped her picture to the door of my daughters' room. Ms. Barrett started her career at Southwest as a secretary. There are many, many reasons, of course, to stand in awe of what she and her team have done, succeeding and advancing on many fronts amid the greatest set of rolling knockout blows in the history of their industry. Amazing stuff. A Fast 50 recipient, 2003.

Ms. Barrett and almost every analyst writing about Southwest, and most anyone who flies their system defines the enterprise by its values.

Values within lead to value in the world. Friends, that's sustainable work.

It infuses the story of Southwest Airlines. It lights their enterprise.

What's the secret? "It's as simple as practicing the Golden Rule" she says, quoted in a wonderful new book called Faith and Fortune, by Marc Gunther.

So, as a tip of my cap to Colleen Barrett's spirit, her simple honesty and immense talent, I offer the following breaking news for business and life ...

CHRISTIANITY
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law of the prophets". - Matthew 7:12

ISLAM
"No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself". - Sunnah

"Not one of you is a believer until you wish for others what you wish for yourself." - Fourth Hadith of an-Nawawi 13

JUDAISM
"What is harmful to you, do not to your fellow men. That is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary". - Talmud, Shabbat, 312

HINDUISM
"This is the turn of duty; do naught unto others which could cause pain if done to you". - Mahabharata, 5, 1517

NATIVE AMERICAN SPIRITUALITY
"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves." - Chief Seattle

CONFUCIANISM
"Surely it is the maxim of loving-kindness: Do not unto other that you would not have them do unto you". - Analects, 15,23

TAOISM
"Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain and your neighbor's loss as your own loss". - T'ai Shang Kan Ying P'ien

BUDDHISM
"Hurt not others in ways you yourself would find hurtful". - Udana - Varga 5,18

ZOROASTRIANISM
"That nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto another whatsoever is not good for itself". - Dadistan-i-dinik, 94,5

SECULAR VIEW
Do not unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same". - George Bernard Shaw

Well then, my kind of advice. Business or pleasure... Simple. Easy to remember. No logos. Sort of catchy. You can google it. No copyrights. Multicultural.

There is a clear path walked before us. The advertising would read "field tested". Walking this path through the fields of your enterprise life is a route that has clearly passed some important tests through the millennia and across the planet. I'm just adding my voice to the choir.

If it's good enough for all these world religions and it's good enough for my biz hero Colleen Barrett, it's good enough for me.

I do my best to follow this path in my enterprise life and the damndest thing is, it works.

How's that for breaking news?
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