Not Making Enemies

I've long accepted the idea that if you make important decisions, you will occasionally make an enemy or two or thousand.

But the making of enemies can be too easily accepted. Many a jerk has shrugged off a twist of the knife by noting that enemies are inevitable.

Which brings me to an executive I'll call Sam.

I have never met anyone who didn't like him. Sam has made tough decisions in his career, but he has always treated people with respect. He goes out of his way to listen to his opponents. A meeting with Sam is a pleasure, even if the subject is difficult, because he has a natural optimism blended with a strong appreciation of reality.

He has become a fixer, the sort of person who is sent in to turn around operations. His ability to let people know that he values their opinions is part of his magic but it wouldn't work if he weren't genuine.

Most of us cannot duplicate Sam's personality but we can adopt his practice of not making unnecessary enemies. And when you survey many careers, a sizable number of the enemies are unnecessary.