Hi! Managers: Love and respect yourself first

This is about the relationship of two close friends.

A boy and a girl were playing together. The boy had marbles and the girl some sweets. That's when the boy had an idea. He told the girl that he would give her all his marbles in exchange for the sweets. The girl agreed.

However, the boy decided to keep the biggest and most beautiful marbles and give the rest to the girl. However, the girl, not knowing what the boy had done, gave him all her sweets as she promised.

That night, the girl slept peacefully, but the boy couldn't sleep a wink because he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him just as he had hidden his favourite marbles.

I have frequently heard people say: "Treat others the way you want others to treat you."

You will never be able to change things if you don't starting changing first. Every word you speak or action you take should be preceded by thought. However, sacrificing your feelings just because you think it will make you a good person is not the way to go.

You have to love and respect yourself before you can have a good relationship with anyone else.

Remember that your thoughts are powerful. You may not realise what your innermost thoughts are, but others can tell what you're thinking from your actions.

If you don't give your relationships 100 per cent, you will always keep wondering if the other person is doing the same. So give your soulmates 100 per cent in love and sincerity and you will sleep peacefully.

The same applies to your colleagues and subordinates. How far a business goes in terms of long-term sustainability depends very much on everybody involved.

Partners, colleagues and subordinates need to be treated well, because remember: in the long-run they are really your best friends.

Chantana Sukumanont is executive vice president of Siam City Cement. Her column is published on every second Monday of the month.