If you commit to doing the following, each and every day, you will quickly be a lot more successful:

1. Walk away from gossip.

Gossip is often hard to resist. Gossip also diminishes everyone involved.

Shift the conversation. Or walk away. Sure you’ll be different. But that’s okay; do you want to be like the people who gossip? (After all, although most people like gossip… but most people don’t like the people who gossip.)

Delightfully successful people talk to other people instead of talking about them – unless they’re saying great things. That’s part of what makes them delightful.

2. Spend five minutes in another person’s shoes.

For five minutes, focus on a customer. Forget what you provide: What does that customer hope or need to accomplish? What are his goals? What are his targets? What can you do to make him more successful?

Or focus on a particular employee. What are her career goals? What is she struggling with that impacts her performance? What can you do to make her job more fulfilling and rewarding?

The answers will surprise you. Maybe what your customer really needs is to fight off a new competitor. Maybe what your employee really needs is an occasional opportunity to express creativity in her heavily process-based position.

Every day, spend a little time thinking about what someone else really needs and help them get it, even if the effort required falls outside your job description or typical focus or business as usual.

The best way to build your own long-term success is to help other people succeed.
3. Give one person unexpected praise.

Go out of your way to recognize a person who did something well: A colleague, a customer, a manager, a vendor… all you have to do is say, “I was really impressed by how you…”

Praise costs nothing to give but is priceless – and memorable – to the person who receives it. Appreciating other people, especially people who may not expect it, creates a solid and lasting connection. Just make sure that the praise is authentic and genuine.

Once you start trying to adopt this habit, you’ll find it is easy to find something every day that someone has done that is praiseworthy.

And it “brands” you in an awesome way.

4. Do one thing no one else is willing to do.

Do the same things as everyone else and your career success will be the same as everyone else.

Do a little extra research. Put in a little more prep time. Revisit what others assumed was a dead end. Take one more shot at salvaging a damaged customer relationship. Make one more phone call, send one more email, reach out one more time.

Every time you do something, think of one extra thing you can do that others aren’t willing to do.

The best opportunities often lie waiting in soil that hasn’t been cultivated. Every day, plow one row other people will not.

5. Admit one failing.

Say you were wrong. Say you are sorry. Make a joke at your own expense. Ask someone for help (because that implicitly shows you don’t have all the skills or answers.) Admit you aren’t perfect.

When you do, you’ll find it much easier to work to improve your weaknesses. Plus you’ll find that other people will gladly help you, usually without being asked.

Admit you aren’t perfect and you’ll also like yourself more, not less. Admit you aren’t perfect and other people will like you better, not less.

Good things always happen when other people like you – and just as importantly when you like yourself.