When I was young I remember my dad used to get really irritated by some friends I had chosen to hang out with. He would vehemently tell me not to keep some friends and as a child, I did not understand and would get angry and question why he would tell me not to mingle with certain individuals.
As I have grown older, it is evident that he had my best interest at heart and he was right. I could have been too stubborn to see or too young to understand – but the truth is, even in Business when one surrounds themselves with bad business persons it can result in hurting your business and subsequently your business network.
The power that peer pressure has can go unnoticed at the early stages but the consequences can be very dire and harm one’s good morals into a downward spiral. This power can happen to anyone, black, white, Asian, young or old.
Sometimes we surround ourselves with certain individuals and after some time we realize that the individuals are not straight people or their thinking, is way different than ours. But because we feel lonely or want to be accepted in society we keep that company. Be it of a close friend, or relative or an older person we once looked up to.
What we do not realize or are in denial to accept is that our own good moral is being hurt much more than the other person who might be a seasoned individual and has chosen to follow a life of questionable standards or different moral ethic.
I have recently started reading the bible and the verses on keeping good company are many both in the old and new testaments. Some of my favorites being: – 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be misled; Bad company corrupts good character”. Psalms 26: 4-5 “I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.”
Proverbs 14:7 “Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of Knowledge” and Proverbs 22: 24-25 “Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare”
This is not only true for character building but it is also true if you want to achieve business success.
When one chooses to engage or follow a business network, they are hoping to be linked to groups of like-minded business persons who can appreciate, recognize, and think creatively to achieve business success.
If one is in the farming business, then one should seek professional successful farmers who will guide him into achieving greater results via good consultation and social talks.
Technology has revolutionized how social business networks are built and nowadays networks can be via social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many more.
Although these are great platforms to meet likeminded thinkers, it is always a great idea to have a face-to-face meeting if you decide to indulge or pursue a business relationship.
But picking the right network is, key. Just like friendship and personal relationships, if one surrounds themselves with bad company, chances are they will fall harder without realizing it up until it is too late to pick yourself up with dignity after having lost your moral or good character.
In a traditional world it is harder for women to have wider or broader business networks as men do, as they tend to have personal inhibitions and can be prone to following the wrong networks without seeing or noticing that they should change their networking approach.
Creating networks of men especially for women can get a tad bit tricky. It gets even harder when the women are single. It is simpler for a married woman to increase her network of men as she will get good contacts from her spouse. Single women have to work a little harder to get trusted networks and it takes a longer time. But the secret is to be persistent and keep knocking on doors until you find the right persons to work with.
Choosing friends should be the same when choosing business relations and associates. You have to choose wisely for better moral ethic and sustainable results.