Why the Company You Keep Shapes Your Success

A note to young leaders.

On the importance of the company you keep.

Recently, at an offsite at the Hunter Valley, I noticed that whenever I tried to swat a fly, I had a one in four chance of a direct hit. Back in Sydney, I was lucky if I hit even one fly in a hundred tries.

Why, I wondered, was my fly-swatting success rate so much higher in the countryside?

The answer is obvious enough. We all adjust to the pace of the environment we find ourselves in. The flies in the country move slower because everything around them moves at a more leisurely pace.

This principle applies as much to people as it does to flies.

This is why you shouldn’t stay any longer than 12-months in an organisation that is slow, unambitious or bureaucratic. You may think you’re changing them, but they are far more likely to change you.

As a leader, you get to set the environment – through the company’s values and culture. Make sure it places a high premium on getting stuff done fast, or else risk being swatted by your competition.