The Golden Rule vs The Platinum Rule

The golden rule says: 

"do unto others as you would have them do unto you" or "treat others the way you want to be treated".

This biblical principle is often misinterpreted. The literal translation implies that we are all the same we all want the same things.  However, we are all different, and we all want different things.  

The platinum rule says:
"treat others the way THEY want to be treated". 

The Platinum Rule accommodates the feelings of others. The focus of relationships shifts from "this is what I want, so I'll give everyone the same thing" to "let me first understand what they want and then I'll give it to them."

The concept sounds simple but in practice is not always so easy.  After 40 years I think I may finally be starting to understand this.