| 10 Palace Principles or Etiquette Considerations | | | | are sometimes willing to share. There is always |
| In your lifetime, you will get to a point where your | | | | something you can learn from the next person |
| gift brings you before kings and people of major | | | | especially those that have gone ahead of you. It is |
| influence in society. You may not enter the real | | | | not about how many university degrees the king has |
| palace but for the sake of this document, I will look | | | | on the resume. It is way above that. Wisdom |
| at etiquette considerations when you are meeting | | | | gathered from life experiences is more valuable. To |
| someone significant, e.g. your mentor, minister, chief | | | | combine that with formal education is excellent. |
| etc. The principles I share with you today apply to | | | | Wisdom is one quality that kings are chosen on. The |
| the real palace when you meet a real king or when | | | | ability to judge a situation fairly and justly is an |
| you meet an authority figure. No longer will you live | | | | expectation mankind has for those in authority. The |
| on assumption but you will be deliberate and | | | | more they act in this manner, the more they gain |
| intentional about some of the things you do. I have | | | | credibility and respect. In the process, wisdom and |
| met influential people in my life before. For some it | | | | influence increases. |
| was unplanned but in a number of cases it was by | | | | 6. A king must be addressed with dignity and honor - |
| invitation. As someone who groped in the dark and | | | | It is highly honorable and well respected and |
| finally learned how not to behave before people of | | | | accepted to honor a king or a person in authority |
| influence I picked a few principles or considerations | | | | over you. Realize the importance of the king in that |
| which will help you as you move up the ladder of | | | | what they speak out has a direct effect on your life. |
| influence. As mentioned before greatness is every | | | | When he decrees laws and passes judgment, your |
| living human being's birthright hence you have to be | | | | daily life processes are affected directly. It is always |
| looking forward to influence and significance in the | | | | important to give honor to whom honor is due. |
| journey of life. These principles will prepare you in | | | | Whatever you respect, you can extract value from. |
| advance for your palace experience. You will realize | | | | what you take for granted, loses value in your sight |
| that I speak of the king but you are welcome to | | | | and hence you cease to benefit from it. When I |
| replace it with mentor or any other title befitting of | | | | went to school, whenever an authority figure |
| someone in authority like a President of a company | | | | entered our classroom, we stood up to honor them. I |
| or nation. | | | | never used to appreciate this as no one took the |
| Summarized Principles and Considerations | | | | liberty to explain to me why we did what we were |
| 1. A king deserves your attention - You have to | | | | doing. |
| realize that the king's time is precious. Take note that | | | | 7. It is not for you to correct the king - Sometimes |
| it is a privilege for you to even be entertained in his | | | | we grow big heads and feel we now know more |
| palace. Give him his place, to rule and decree. When | | | | than the king. How you bring value to the table is |
| he speaks, you listen attentively. You have to | | | | very important. If your motive for making a |
| sharpen your listening abilities. When you show that | | | | contribution or suggestion is meant to "prove" to all |
| you are taking note of what he is saying, it will | | | | that you now know better than the king then your |
| encourage the king to say more. There is nothing as | | | | contributions are misplaced. It is not your role to |
| frustrating to a king as someone who takes the | | | | change the king. You can suggest, propose, appeal |
| office for granted and decides to focus his attention | | | | but not impose your idea on the king. It is up to the |
| on other "nice to see" things in the palace. You have | | | | king to judge the contributions he/she receives and |
| come for counsel, pay attention. | | | | act on what they feel is of benefit to the greater |
| 2. A king requires order and structure - Being a | | | | body. Your motive can hinder the king from seeing |
| governmental individual, a king or ruler is used to | | | | the positive value in your proposals / suggestions. |
| putting together structures of how to govern or rule | | | | You did not appoint the king in the first place so you |
| the empire in an effective manner. In the case of a | | | | are not qualified to remove or correct him either. Am |
| mentor, they probably have daily experiences of | | | | I saying kings will be right 100% of the time. Certainly |
| putting together structures in their business and | | | | not, they are human before they are kings. |
| restructuring their investments. As someone who has | | | | 8. Your own agenda come secondary after those |
| come to this high profile, structured and | | | | you represent - It is easy to go before the king and |
| "governmental" figure, your matters have to have | | | | focus on your own personal issues and challenges |
| order. This calls for your preparation before you | | | | forgetting that you represent a whole constituency |
| enter the palace. Exhibiting disorder before the king is | | | | or a department. Picture this, the CEO calls you to his |
| a sure way not to be invited again. Your agenda and | | | | office to discuss staff welfare. Instead of pursuing |
| the flow of your meeting can not suddenly be | | | | your own raise you would rather focus on raising the |
| interrupted by crazy thoughts you are coming up | | | | lowest paid employee. In so doing you are shifting |
| with. You have probably not come for a brain | | | | everyone else upwards. If you are in the palace on |
| storming session with the king, present your case in | | | | account of the needs of your followers please focus |
| a flowing, orderly and structured manner. Only then | | | | on that. Bringing your own issues will scuttle the |
| will you get specific, directed counsel. A king requires | | | | agenda and will border on self gratification at the |
| you to be specific and straight to the point - Kings | | | | expense of a whole group of people. Meet the needs |
| are busy people. You need to get to the point in the | | | | of others and yours will be met in the process. You |
| shortest possible time. Highlight the reason why you | | | | are however not to neglect your day to |
| have come. | | | | responsibilities on account of this statement. Die to |
| 3. Keep the king's confidence - The goings on in the | | | | self, sacrifice your own agenda and see your |
| palace are not to be heard outside the courtyard, in | | | | influence grow. |
| the market place. Kings come across different cases, | | | | 9. Always seek to cover and not expose the king - |
| situations and experiences. You may stumble across | | | | This is in line with the information I mentioned above. |
| privileged information while in the presence of the | | | | I did mention that kings are first human before they |
| king. This should not excite you as "latest gossip" to | | | | get the title of king. As such they will make mistakes, |
| start spreading. Once you loose confidence you | | | | gross errors of omission and commission combined. |
| truncate chances of ever receiving counsel again. | | | | You can not be found among those who will slander |
| some of the information you may stumble on can | | | | the king. Your role as a follower of the king is to |
| bring instability to many who were not in the picture | | | | protect him/her, speak well of the king and cover |
| until your mouth opened to spread the "latest" gossip. | | | | him where there is exposure. The more you join the |
| One day you will rule and reign in high office and you | | | | band wagon of slanderers, the more you will fail to |
| shall feel the importance of keeping certain | | | | see and accept any wisdom there is for your life. |
| information to your chest. Swear to secrecy to a | | | | You will magnify the errors such that the good is |
| point of not even telling your wife. Information | | | | overshadowed. Protect the king from physical abuse, |
| leakages happen not because you told the city but | | | | from psycho-social fraud, from people who want to |
| you you may have even told one person who loses | | | | take advantage of the king and ruin the reputation |
| control. As you become king or person of influence, | | | | built over time. I am not guaranteeing that kings will |
| pay attention to information security. Know what | | | | never scar you emotionally because that would be a |
| examples to give in your counsel that will not be | | | | false promise. If you get close to the king with the |
| treated as newsworthy. | | | | hope to be scarred, lo and behold, you will attract |
| 4. No offense with the king - when you receive | | | | scars. The closer you get to the king you should |
| correction or when your otherwise "brilliant" proposals | | | | realize that you will get personal with him/her. |
| are thrown through the window, do not take | | | | Separate the roles clearly and know the king is |
| offense. It may have been the manner in which you | | | | human enough to be angry and emotional. |
| presented or the lack of depth in your research that | | | | 10 Gratitude to the king is the best gift you can ever |
| caused the king to decide against what you put on | | | | give - Appreciate the king's time with you. You can |
| the table. It is your role to re-look at what you | | | | never pay enough for the counsel you get from a |
| brought and identify loopholes, lack of clarity so as to | | | | mentor or king. Sometimes they do it at their own |
| re-sharpen your presentation. It is easy to take | | | | cost. They sacrifice their own family and business |
| offense at whatever the king speaks or rebukes you | | | | time to entertain your matter. surely that counts for |
| on. Separate the matters from the person. They | | | | some appreciation and expression of gratitude. I |
| have taken time to entertain you, give him/her time | | | | mentioned in one article how no one can ever afford |
| to contribute in any way, shape or form. Offense | | | | paying their own mothers for all they invested. Their |
| can easily be magnified to a point where all the good | | | | invoice is way above monetary gains. It is the same |
| is swallowed up in the cloud. Be sober minded in the | | | | with the king or mentor. Their counsel time can |
| king's presence and find creative and effective ways | | | | change your destiny forever. Now what is the price |
| to deal with your own frustrations and opinions away | | | | of forever, limitless. A wise person can find out in |
| from the palace. | | | | advance what the king likes, the king's special days |
| 5. Kings have wisdom and experiential knowledge, tap | | | | (birthday, anniversary etc) and send through a card |
| into it. Be expectant each time you meet someone | | | | or present. Gratitude is not just what the ancient |
| from a higher office than yours. Most of the time we | | | | kings used to get but it is forever a hidden |
| do not learn or remember what has been said unless | | | | expectation and virtue that mankind carries without |
| we write things down. Kings have gathered | | | | even being coached on it. |
| experiences and knowledge over time which they | | | | |
