The notion of “sharing nicely” is back.  And it’s not just for kids.

If your childhood was at all like mine, you heard it constantly: Share Nicely.  E.g.,

-       the baseball you brought to the game

-       the birthday present your sibling liked just as much as you

-       the last piece of cake, the object of three outstretched hands, all asking, “Anybody want this last piece?”

In the adult world, though, we found that the sharing wasn’t always so nice.  In fact, sometimes it didn’t exist at all.

-       “Honest John” lied his pants off when selling you a new car

-       Your workmates undercut and end-ran you at work

-       Your business competitors stole your customers with outright lies, under the guise of clever marketing

But the information revolution is leveling this playing field.  The new world favors those who are honest, transparent, current and accessible.  Imagine that!

-       Honest John now needs to get honest or go out of business – because the truth of all of the things she used to lie about are now readily accessible on the internet.

Your competitors aren’t going to undercut you because they’re more deceptive than you – they’ll win because they’re more honest.  They won’t win because they hide things better; they’ll win because they’re transparent.  And they won’t win because of they’re sentimental about the old days – they’ll win because the only constant they know is change.

It’s a great time to be ruthless – ruthlessly honest.

If you’re honest, compassionate, transparent and continually staying current, there has never been a better time to be yourself.