Peer Review?
TJ Bennett, ACC ??
My superpower is helping you find yours. Executive Coach / Podcast Host / Discount Will Arnett Voiceover Stand-in
I saw this post from a fairly prominent business dude the other day:
“You constantly want to be upgrading your peer group. You want to hang out with smarter, more successful, more interesting, higher-character people because you will rise or fall to the level of your peer group.”
This seems like an incredibly cold and transactional way to view the world. Are people simply here to help us achieve our personal goals? To be discarded when they no longer serve that purpose?
I’m not buying it.
I've drawn inspiration from all kinds of people over the years. And I’ve seen myriad ways that people can be successful. It’s not all about professional achievement. I admire the way some folks have built their families. I envy the mental toughness of friends making half what I do while working twice as hard. And I marvel at those who navigate personal tragedy with unfathomable strength and grace.
You want interesting? If you’re willing to really look and listen, most people are pretty damn fascinating. People don’t owe that part of themselves to you. You need to make a damn effort. Engage with them. Find a point of connection. It’s not that hard, even though I’ll admit to being kinda terrible at it sometimes.
As far as character goes, we are all deeply flawed. Yes, we should hold people accountable for their behavior. But we should always start with ourselves. If someone is truly toxic and unwilling to put in an honest effort in a relationship, by all means cut them loose. But I’ve found that to be pretty rare.
To those who view their fellow humans as mere stepping stones on the way to greatness, I have but one question: Is there ever a point where you stop looking to "upgrade" and simply find joy and meaning with the ones who are already a part of your life?
Because that sounds an awful lot like success to me.
Associate Creative Director at Source
3 年Yeah, if you followed that line of thinking I would’ve been dumped years ago.
I specialize in powerful, breakthrough ideas that build brands and business.
3 年TJ, thank you. Many of us on LinkedIn are grateful you (and Buford) haven’t sloughed us off in a quest to be surrounded by “supermen and women”. #forevergrateful
at MMAPS, Inc,
3 年George Welch of GE had a policy to fire the lowest rated 10% of employees every year....and we saw what happened to GE. It produced a me first culture and the company be damned. It was "do unto others before they do unto you". I thought it was a suicidal approach.
Creative Director / Copywriter / Strategist
3 年You are dead on with many points here. The post you referenced is a cold, selfish, cynical and i would think possibly destructive way to look at the world and both personal and professional relationships. And it’s disappointing to think there may be many who think that way.
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3 年I think the person you quoted missed something essential about “being selective”. Years ago I was asked to take a test as part of a Design Your Life progam. True or False only. There were many questions that caused me to reflect, but one that brought me to a halt was: “I surround myself with people who inspire me.” “Inspire” seemed like setting the bar awfully high for deciding who to include among those I chose to interact with. My business coach and I discussed the question. My coach had been trained by the author of the questionnaire, Thomas Leonard, widely viewed as the “Father Of Coaching”. (A decidedly interesting dude, BTW.) The conclusion was similar to your observation about who we choose to keep in our lives and why. One person “inspires” us with his/her intelligence. Another with their ability to get us to lightan up. Others with their powerful empathy and the quality of their listening. High achievers may be on our list of “inspirers”, but they may not rank highest. So, a good piece and a thoughtful one. Get clear about what/who inspires you. Keep those folks in your life