Representative

You have to be careful who speaks for you. For better or for worse, we all have agents out in the world. My children represent my family, and their behavior is a reflection on my values. An employee represents you simply by virtue of the fact that you’ve chosen to continue your working relationship.

Association matters. I once worked with someone who was so intolerable to me that I didn’t work with that company again for years. Only many years later did I discover that everyone at the firm also thought that person was intolerable, but no one had the guts to fire her. As a result, they lost a thousand business partners and clients like me, people who simply quietly assumed that any company culture that allowed a person like that must be a culture like that. The rest of them were quite nice, but because they’d allowed that person to stay, they’d tacitly endorsed her behavior towards the company’s vendors and clients.

Aggressively shape your circle. When someone has to stand in a room for you, make sure they’re standing tall.