Lately I’ve been reflecting on what I think are the most important things corporate Americanites should remember as they chase the dream and climb the ladder. After much review and introspection, I’ve come up with my top 3 list. I can’t say that by following these sage words you will find yourself as CEO of a fortune 500 company by the time you’re 25, but I will say it will help you move up that fickle ladder. 
Part 1 of this trilogy will explore criticism and the havoc that even seemingly harmless feedback can bring. We all know that you need to be careful about what you say. But you also really need to be careful about what feedback and criticism you give, who you share it with and who its about. And so my tale begins…
My boss at the time asked me to interview a candidate who was applying for a job in our organization. The position would be a peer to me, where two of us would be working very closely together. So from my perspective, “fit” and ability to get along and work well were really important. I met with the woman, let’s call her Mavis, for a bit over an hour discussing her experience, qualifications, management style, etc.. After the meeting, my boss asked me for candid feedback. Happy to oblige, I explained that I thought Mavis was very qualified and offered great experience. I said she came across as aggressive, and questioned her teaming and relationship building skills. In short, she was qualified, but I wasn’t sure if the value she would bring would offset the carnage that might follow.
Fast forward 2 months. I get a call from my boss. He mentioned that he had made a decision on who he was going to hire for what I thought would be my new co-worker. I'm thinking, "great, it will be nice to have someone to share in the workload". Not so fast...it was Mavis. He was hiring the glass-breaker from the planet "Your-Ass-is-Mine". AND as an added bonus, he was re-organizing the group and I would begin reporting into her. Holy crap! My boss (now, technically ex-boss) then further explained that in an effort to be fully transparent, he had told Mavis all the criticisms and concerns that I had shared with him. Not only did I have a new boss, but I had a new boss who knew that I didn’t want her hired!! Bad situation turned catastrophic. And that's where I'm pretty certain I stopped breathing, and everything went dark. It took about a week for my jaw to get off the ground and another week for my crushed ego to get out of ICU.
After working very hard to build a good working relationship with Mavis, I realized that first impressions (on both sides) are very hard to get past. And eighteen months later I left that job. Lesson learned? Be extremely careful about what you say about people and what feedback you give. Once you say it, its out there in the universe. First impressions never go away, and you never know if who you'll be working for one day--I sure didn't.
