This week I’m going to get a barrage of emails beginning with, “Usually I agree with you, but…” Read on.
When you see a teenager from your neighborhood that you know, hanging out with a ‘bad kid,’ what do you think? Rightly or wrongly, you likely judge them by who they choose to associate with. You (correctly) assume that – most often – birds of a feather flock together, and take note. This happens all the time.
The same thing happens at work. If you take your lunch breaks with people who are known as mercenaries, or lazy, or not with the program, or difficult to be around, you too are judged by your associations by your superiors.
If word gets around that you hang out with these people after work, their judgment is intensified.
“But this is unfair!” you cry. “My personal time is mine to do with as I choose.”
This is true, but if you want to get ahead in life, for the sake of your reputation, and for the sake of your own self,
DON’T HANG OUT WITH IDIOTS.
You may now to proceed with your emails, which I will mostly likely delete. You are an average of the five people closest to you. Think about it. Hard.
