One of the most important things in your life is the company your keep. We often hear that we are the average of the top 5 people or influences in our life. In that regard, I put a system a few years ago to vet the people in my life, from friends to clients as well as service providers. I want to surround myself with people I can learn from and that inspire me.

One part of that system is to pay attention to how one treats individuals that work for them or provide a service to them. For example, you’re at a restaurant for a business lunch and you notice that the person is very nice to you, very professional and focused, however, that same seemingly lovely individual is offering a very different side of themselves to the server. You start witnessing, agitation, frustration, sarcasm and belittling remarks.

In my opinion, how one treats the people that provide for us, the Help, that work for us is very telling about a person’s character. I personally prefer consistency when it comes to values and behaviors. That person at the restaurant may be very nice to you today, but may treat you, and/or speak about you one day, the same way than the server. I invite you to figure out if you’re comfortable with that or not.

Consistency is important because it offers a sense of safety and security. What if I want to refer a friend or a client to someone? I’d like to know how they’ll be treated. If there is no consistency of character, or the person adjust the behavior depending on self serving motivations, that person will not get my business or referrals. Will they get yours? There is no right or wrong answer to this. I found that it’s most productive to figure certain things in advance so one can waste as little time as possible on building a network of influence: the top 5.

So what will be your top influencers. They may already be in your life, if not, what would they look like, which attributes would they have? What inspires you?

Reach for the greatest version of yourself!

Paola