Through social and digital media—through the internet—we are all more connected than ever. We can find old high school friends and reach out. Just the other day, I was connecting on LinkedIn with someone I did not know (he had reached out to me for a quote on an opportunity) and he knew a cousin of mine in Toronto. Though the world grows, it also gets smaller.

When we do something not so good—a wrong comment online, a transgression at a conference or event—the “word” travels fast. But when we do good, it also travels fast. I got to thinking about things that we can do that are just plain basic and good. What in our daily lives can we change in our thoughts or actions that will just make a better world for all of us? I asked a few colleagues about their thoughts on this, and combined with mine, here are five concepts toward success.

1. Be as kind to others as you are to, say, a puppy or kitten, and as respectful as you are to your boss or mentor.
2. We always hear that, instead of feeding a person, we should teach them to fish. But this is also great advice: don’t try to teach a starving person how to fish. First give them fish. Then teach them to fish when the pressure of hunger and need to eat is gone.
3. People are at the core of all businesses and life. Not financials. Not strategy. Not technology. Just people!
4. The more you value the differences that make each of us unique, the more you will bring out the best in yourself and others.
5. It is important to remember that smart people compromise. It is just that simple. The more you feel it must be your way, the greater the chance that your way will end in an undesired outcome!

Think good, do good, and be successful!

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