Who Are You Hangin’ With?
Because the answer is a very strong predictor of your future.
From decades past comes the term: “I knew he/she would end up badly – he was mixed up with a bad crowd.”
You may have been told about concepts like “Your income will average to around that of the 5 people you most associate with.”
Network science infers that not only do our friends have immense effects on our self perception/image – but staggeringly – the friends of our friends exert even more impact on us than our friends do directly.
For example – if the friends of your friends smoke cigarettes (or drink alcohol to excess, or are more obese than average, or ANY variable you can name) – then YOU are strongly affected by that. If you want to stop smoking – ensure that your friends (and their friends) are NON-SMOKERS…
In your business – do you hang with people (and their friends) who accept that you cannot excel in a tough economic environment? Maybe they accept that having a business that is not thriving is “OK”?
Consider the way that schools of fish suddenly change direction – the pressure on any individual fish to conform for the safety of the school is enormous. In the same way – the associates of your direct associates keep YOU in the behaviour that protects the group.
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Trouble is that “being safe” can mean not achieving.
Take time now to consider your full network – and decide whether your current exposure to group culture is in your benefit – or if now is a great time to made some “adjustments”.
Cheers
James
Ps – also consider the implications of this idea for your marketing…