They Picked Their VPs

The people you spend time with define you. It’s an election year and much of the focus over the last few weeks has been on the vice-presidential picks of the candidates. While the VP is never at the top of the ticket, how and who the presidential candidates select as their VP says a lot about who they are, how they will lead, and the people that will influence their decisions. Who is by your side? Who do you surround yourself with?

I’m not sure five people is the magic number, but the people around you define you. This is especially important in two different areas:

VALUES – Do the people around you have values that align with the values you strive for? Are they living the type of life you want to live? Our worldview, values, and ethics are heavily influenced by others. A few examples:

• A Pew Research study found that the divorce of a friend or close relative dramatically increases the chances that you too will divorce.
• Dave Ramsey says if you want to get rich then “don’t take advice from broke people.”
• If you are a person of faith, do those around you support your faith journey or hinder it? For Christians, the Bible warns against partnering with those that have different values than you do.

PROFESSIONALLY – Do you spend time with those that have skills and success at the level you’d like to obtain? This is also important as you build your team or organization.

It’s easy to have people around that aren’t as smart or accomplished as you, and never challenge you. It makes you feel good. However, it doesn’t help you or your team. Hire the very best. Search for all-stars. Find people that are where you want to be in 1, 5 or 10 years. Ask them to mentor you. Buy them lunch or coffee and listen to them. Learn from them.

The people you spend time with define you.

Question: Who are you surrounding yourself with? Who is one person you can reach out to this week to learn from and listen to? You can leave a comment by clicking here.