My dad made me stop hanging around with Sean Baker when I was 14. He was trouble. He ended up doing drugs, quitting H.S. etc.  It was for my own good.

Who we hang around plays a big role in who we are and who we turn out to be.  My Dad made a good decision.

Who do you hang around with?  Do you hang around successful people? Are they healthy? Do they volunteer? Do they spend vacations building houses with Habitat for Humanity? Do they have lots of toys? Do they gossip a lot? Are they flashy? Do they read a lot? Do they complain about Obama and the bad shape of our country? Are they diverse in religious, racial, political and sexual orientations? Do they go to church?

What are the people like you hang around?  Look at who you spend time with and you’ll get a good look at yourself.

I think it’s the same at work. What does where you work say about you? Do you work for a big company that moves slowly, takes few risks, but is good at creating process, structure and direction? Do you work for a progressive company that expects you to define your own role and is intolerant of bureaucracy? Look at the people you work with. Do you share many of the same values? Do you have the same work ethic? Does getting things done seem easy or is it like pulling teeth?

Where we work and who we work with also says a lot about us.  Hanging out with the wrong people can get us into trouble, working for the wrong company, with the wrong people can make it difficult to be successful.

We are at our best when we surround ourselves with successful people in companies that match our philosophies, approaches and beliefs.   Like our friends and the people we hang around, the companies we work for influence how we do our job.

Don’t hang out with Sean Bakers or work for Sean Baker like companies.  Who you hang out with and who you work for says a lot about you than you can say about yourself.

What does your company say about you?