""It's as important as the degree that you got in college, it's as important as the job title and the salary." In a world where you can't control who hires you or how you're perceived, friendships become a form of agency. They're where confidence is rehearsed, ideas are tested, and resilience is built, often long before those skills are rewarded with a title or a pay rise."
"can't control who's going to love you, who's going to like you, who's going to give you a job, who's going to see you the way you want to be seen." Obama's friendship philosophy is a smart career-booster; CEOs have been able to make bold job choices and meaningfully reflect on their decision-making when they have a strong support network. Business leaders say their friends elevate their careers by being brutally honest, sharing industry wisdom, and giving them an "in" when applying to new roles."
Strategic early-career friendships can accelerate professional advancement when chosen and nurtured deliberately. Long-term confidences among close companions create spaces to rehearse confidence, test ideas, and build resilience ahead of formal recognition. Friend networks provide honest feedback, industry knowledge, and informal access to opportunities that business leaders use to make bolder job choices and reflect on decisions. Cultivating relationships offers agency in unpredictable hiring and perception environments and can deliver emotional and career support comparable to formal credentials or titles. Active investment in friendships enhances career mobility and personal wholeness.
Read at Fortune
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]