It's one thing some of wealthiest people on planet have done and are doing.

It's one thing written about in various ancient cultures and still promoted today.

It's one thing that will bring money to anyone who does it but at same time most people will fear doing it.

What is that one thing?

John D. Rockefeller did it since he was a child. He became a billionaire.

Andrew Carnegie did it, too. He became a tycoon.

What is greatest money-making secret in history?

What is one thing that works for everyone?

Give money away.

That's right. Give it away.

Give it to people who help you stay in touch with your inner world.

Give it to people who inspire you, serve you, heal you, love you.

Give it to people without expecting them to return it, but give it knowing it will come back to you multiplied from some source.

In 1924 John D. Rockefeller wrote to his son and explained his practice of giving away money. He wrote, "...in beginning of getting money, away back in my childhood, I began giving it away, and continued increasing gifts as income increased..."

Did you notice what he said? He gave away more money as he received more income. He gave away $550 million dollars in his lifetime.

P.T. Barnum gave money away, too. As I wrote in my book on him, "There's A Customer Born Every Minute," Barnum believed in what he called a "profitable philanthropy." He knew giving would lead to receiving. He, too, became one of world's richest men.

Andrew Carnegie gave enormously, too. While some might argue that these early tycoons had money to give, so it was easy for them, I would argue that they got money in part because they were willing to freely give. The giving led to receiving. The giving led to more wealth.

Today it's fashionable for businesses to give money to worthy causes. It makes them look good and of course it helps those who receive it. Anita Roddick's Body Shop stores, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield's ice cream, and Yvon Chouinard's Patagonia, are living examples of how giving can be good for business.

But what I'm talking about here is individual giving. I'm talking about you giving money so you will receive more money.

We can save a lot of time – you and I – if we can agree on one point: I believe that deep down – and I mean DEEP down – most chief executives understand that doing something about behaviors of their most significant external audiences can rank in importance right up there with increased sales and earnings.

Whether they do anything about it or not is another question. But I believe many sense – as do legislators who know they cannot govern without consent of governed – that managements cannot “govern” their enterprises without support and understanding of their most important audiences. I refer to audiences such as members, supporters, customers, sponsors, prospects, regulators, employees, thoughtleaders, public interest groups, journalists, suppliers, strategic partners, educators, trade unions, community residents and like.

If I’m right, there are some bright days ahead in this brand new century not only for public relations people but world commerce as well.

Fortunately for all concerned, that success will spring from fundamental premise of public relations: people act on their own perception of facts, and those perceptions lead to behaviors about which something can be done. When public relations creates, changes or reinforces that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action those people whose behaviors affect organization, public relations effort is a success.

What that should mean to a CEO seems obvious. “I guess that money I’m spending on public relations really could result in kind of change in behaviors of my key stakeholders that leads directly to achievement of my organizational objectives.”

That conclusion will let us do what we do best – reach those key audience perceptions with facts as we know them. Hopefully, messages we use will be clear and persuasive, and will create, change or reinforce perceptions as needed, then alter behaviors in employer/client’s direction.

When problem solving sequence is completed, that particular public relations mission is accomplished. However, we must constantly guard against simply emphasizing those communications tactics we fervently HOPE will reach target audience. Instead, we must go further and actively track how well those tactics and persuasive messages are altering perception of that target audience. And then monitor to what degree audience behaviors have moved in our direction.

This matters in a very important way. Management really CAN establish desired behavior change up front in planning phase, then insist on getting that result before pronouncing public relations effort a success.

What that means is that management’s comfort level with their public relations investment will increase when that investment produces behavior modification they said they wanted at beginning of program. Because they’ll KNOW they’re getting their money’s worth.