Some people ask, ‘what would Jesus do?’.

Equally useful is to ask, ‘what would an RHB – a Real Human Being do?’.

Recently, I attended a meeting of a professional association of which I’m a member, where the speaker was going to be one of our own colleagues. In a preliminary meeting, someone suggested that we greet this speaker with a standing ovation, right at the outset, before he ever has a chance to begin his speech.

A number of people enthusiastically jumped on the band wagon. Others were reluctant and even unwilling. They felt that a speaker should `earn’ the standing ovation.

If you examine this situation using our habitual criteria of merit and reward, you may indeed say that a speaker has to earn his reward. After all, why would we reward someone who hasn’t worked hard for it? Let him sweat a bit before we shower him with approval, we might say.

On the other hand, if you examine this situation using the ‘Real Human Being’ filter, you arrive at a different result altogether. Using this lens, you may want to make the speaker feel supported and appreciated just for the heck of it. After all, we might say, here’s a great opportunity to Lift Up, Team Up, and Lighten Up. Clearly, providing the advance incentive is the right RHB thing to do.

And here’s the funny thing: if you behave like an RHB and provide that support in advance with no strings attached, the speaker will feel compelled to reciprocate the generous sentiment by delivering his absolute best performance.  Indeed, research shows that we humans are hard-wired to even out the imaginary social ledger by reciprocating good deeds done for us, in fact that is why we feel compelled to utter a Thank You in response to anything that puts us in a `social debt’ situation.  

And once the grateful, energized speaker delivers his top performance, it is highly likely that his or her speech will in fact deserve a true standing ovation.

Which is exactly what happened in our case.

Well, if you’re intent on maintaining your designation as an RHB (Real Human Being), here are `seven ups’ you may want to practice regularly at work:

1. Speak Up. When you see an injustice done or something happening that shouldn’t be, don’t revert to the excuse of `being nice’. Instead, speak up.
2. Shut Up. There’s a time to speak and a time to shut up. Know the difference, and don’t talk when it can be hurtful.
3. Lift Up. Lift your colleagues, employees or superiors up when they are down or stressed. And yes, do that even if you too are just as down or stressed yourself.
4. Fess Up. When you screw up, own your contribution. Apologize, fix it, and move on.
5. Step Up. Be a leader in your own unique way. You can be a shy introvert and still `step up’ and rise to whatever reality it is that requires you to be a real human.
6. Team Up. If you’re part of a team (and who isn’t?), pull your weight. Contribute, give credit, share generously. Don’t withhold information or hoard power.
7. Lighten Up. Relax, stop taking things so personally. Whatever happened or whatever it is that someone said or did, it’s really not the end of the world. Spray some teflon on yourself, smile, and move on.

If you practice these `ups’ regularly, chances are that most everyone around you will readily agree that you deserve your RHB designation!

(P.S. A little `promotional’ note here: we offer keynotes and workshops that are based on various `seven ups’. Don’t hesitate to ask us for details.)

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New research published in the Journal of Economic Psychology shows that attractive people earn an average of 12% more than people who are perceived as less attractive.

The main reason for this, as found in the research, is that attractive people seem to generate cooperation among co-workers more easily. They are perceived to be more helpful, which leads others to behave in more cooperative ways when working with them. 

The numbers are unambiguous: 39% of attractive people (both men and women) were judged to be helpful, compared to 16% of mid-attractive people, and only 6% of unattractive people.

In this blog, I previously commented on the importance of developing a stellar personal brand, and I included there a recommendation to manage your appearance and outfits to fit with your brand.

Little did I know then that such efforts could lead to amazing, measurable differences in income and colleague responses!

So you can guess what my next question will be, right? What do YOU need to do (today!) in order to make your appearance more attractive?

Hey, it may very well be worth the effort.