DALLAS-Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist and author Tom Friedman discussed how the world has become more hyperconnected and even flatter by using as an example how climbers arriving at the summit of Mount Everest can now make cell phone calls to loved ones.

Friedman discussed this and other perspectives on Oct. 10 as the keynote luncheon speaker at the CREW Network Convention & Marketplace, which took place at the Omni Dallas Hotel. During his talk, Friedman exhorted CREW participants to

• Think like an immigrant, in other words, to be better, hungrier and harder-working than everyone else.
• Think like an artisan. Ensure you do your job well enough to "carve your initials" into it.
• Always be in Beta mode. Don't ever think of yourself as a finished product "or else you are," Friedman said.
• Find that extra. In other words, find the unique aspect that allows you to keep your job – and even to move ahead at it.