I was reminded recently about what a small world education is.
An investor introduced my CEO to an industry thought leader who, as it turns out, I’ve known for years through a close friend and colleague of mine.
Nearly every call I do with a prospective customer or partner includes some version of the Kevin Bacon game, education edition.
We’re never more than a couple degrees of separation apart.
I don’t think this is unique to education. Big Tech is also surprisingly small—who you know and their perception of you matters more than you think. I’m told many other industries are the same.
With the world being so connected, you would have to be some sort of fool to burn bridges … right? Right?!?
And yet …
I’m seeing some wild sh’t, yall. People lighting up their soon-to-be former colleagues, bosses, and organizations. Publicly, on social media. 🙄
Like burning the house down on the way out the door. Not smart.
Even if you don’t need or want a good recommendation—or don’t care if they trash talk you in the industry—other folks are paying attention to:
How you show up in public spaces
The way you speak about people you’ve worked with
How you handle difference, disagreement, and disappointment
If I’ve learned one thing from my decades in the workplace, it’s this: Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.
Let that one sink in.
Burning down one bridge speaks volumes about what you’ll do with the next one—and someone’s bound to take note.
Stay smart. Stay safe. Keep those matches to yourself.
Bonus read: And speaking of bad behavior … here are a couple more thoughts on the subject.
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