Yet – perhaps – that story made such an impact on me when I read it as a 5yr old that makes me live by it.

I can’t tell you how many janitors, secretaries or otherwise not-so-obvious employees in the chain of command have influence over the decision makers who you are trying to do business with.

To me – if you treat everyone with respect – no matter what their status is – that same respect will come back to you 10fold. (not to mention, you’ll be brightening that person’s day, b/c not everyone thinks like that…)

thanks for helping me clarify my own thoughts

When someone asks me for help in a social network, I help them. If someone asks me to look at their blog and give them some feedback I do so.

One thing I would add to your statement of helping others is time permitting.

I’m a strong believer in the Golden Rule and try to follow it at all times, but I’ve come across situations where people needing help simply couldn’t be helped in the time I could allot to the problem.

The above applies to people who e-mail directly or who are seeking help in public forums. (Sometimes they don’t understand that people are volunteering their time to help out and have false expectations.)

So, the Golden Rule go both ways; when asking for help, be mindful of the person’s time and limitations.

~ Teli