9 ways for teens to succeed in a future career

Many of us have been taught the Golden Rule: treat others as you would want to be treated. “And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.” (Luke 6:31)

We often take this ideal for granted. However, I would like to propose to teens that following this rule is the secret to true success – in God’s terms – in any job you undertake, whether it be a part-time job while you are still in school, or as you look forward to your career. The following statements, I believe, reflect how the Golden Rule applies to the workplace:

1 Trust others and be trustworthy and you will be trusted.
2 Respect others and you will be respected.
3 Listen to others’ ideas and they will listen to your ideas.
4 Be willing to serve the needs of others and you will be recognized as a fine leader.
5 Be honest and open and others will be honest and open with you.
6 Put the needs of your co-workers and the entire organization first and everyone will succeed.
7 Be loyal to others and they will be loyal to you.
8 Help others and they will help you.
9 Be cheerful and you will bring a positive and contagious spirit to your workplace.

At my place of work we’ve recently held meetings that were focused on reestablishing a sense of teamwork and trust throughout the organization. The ideals listed above were some of the values that were felt to be most important to an effective and satisfying work environment, yet were often most neglected. Start practicing them now and allow them to become the foundation for your relationships with others.

Originally Published: September 2003