The Golden Rule: He who has the gold, makes the rule.* (2024)

This quote was recently shared with me by a dear Uncle. We were talking in the context of advice he had given someone regarding how to handle a difficult situation as in "Be careful! He who has the gold, makes the rules!". I hadn't heard this before. Yes, I have heard of the Golden Rule and I like to think I live by it, but I know I fail horribly at times. However, when he said the above quote, my first thought was.....how true! Then my second, almost immediate reaction was.....how sad.

My life has blessed me with many opportunities to be in leadership. No, I do not mean by title nor by a job description. No dear friends, I mean in how I conduct my day-to-day work. I try hard (and fail a lot) to be a leader in my actions, my words and my work products. What saddens me a great deal in my comings and goings is how wrong the role of leadership is viewed, conducted and uninspired in others. I tie this directly to the concept of the 'who has the gold.....'.

(As an aside, if you think a title equates to leadership, you shouldn't be in leadership in my humble opinion. That might sting a tad, but something to think about.)

Friends, just because you have been given a leadership role by title, sit on top of an organizational chart or have the 'gold'- it does not make you right. No, it is just the opposite. You have been given much and therefore much is expected. You are a steward of not just gold, but YOUR GIFTS!

Think about that for a moment. You are a steward of the skills and gifts you have been so richly been given. You didn't earn those skills. Sure, you might have studied some course or passed some certification exam, but you were given the ability to do so. I believe the concept of stewardship applies not only to money, but our abilities as well.

I challenge you to ask: How am I serving others with not just my 'gold' but also with my 'gifts'? Oh friends, my heart is saddened to think about how very far we have fallen from the truth. The world is driven by the concept of who has the gold in a lot of ways, but let's challenge ourselves to perform every action (both personally and professionally) with a servant's heart.

"He who shares the gifts, is gold!".

Stephanie C. Moss

*This quote is credited to the creator(s) of the Wizard of Id comic strip from what I can gather. I claim no ownership or credit.