If you are a supervisor who wants to grow in your life and leadership abilities, pay close attention to who you hang out with. Your own supervisors, your colleagues, direct reports, your friends, and family all have a huge impact on your future.
Take a hard look at the people who surround you and ask yourself whether they are people you’d like to be more like. Actually ask yourself whether their behavior and attitude and treatment of others is what you want more of in your life. If you were more like them, would your life and work future be brighter?
This is a difficult question for many people to ask because many people have the idea that they are not supposed to be “making judgments” about others. That’s nonsense. Not making judgments is making a judgment and is allowing your own life to be molded by others rather than yourself.
Take a stand for who and what you want to be and to be known for.
If you work in an office where your co-workers show up late, watch the clock and run out the door quickly at the end of the day, then you probably do also.
If you work in a company where snarky comments and gossip rule the day, then you may well find yourself a participant. Not a good way to build a great future.
But if you spend time with people who jump in to help, pursue additional skills, and always look for ways to add value, then you probably do that too.
If your friends and colleagues are always working to improve at what they do and provide ever better service, then you probably do that as well.
Your mother didn’t let you play with kids who were a bad influence. She wanted you to spend time with families whose values she knew were important to your future.
She’s not here anymore. You’re on your own now.
Hang out with the problem solvers, the action takers, and the value adders.
We become the people we spend time with.