This week, I was working with a professional — helping him assess what kind of networks he’s built in his 3-year tenure.
We discovered something powerful and rarely talked about:
He’d built a comfortable clique, not a growth network.
The people he spent the most time with?
→ Same team, same frustrations, same conversations for three years.
→ Great chemistry, zero growth.
And that’s what many professionals miss.
Your clique inside the company isn’t just social — it’s shaping your mindset, your visibility, and your trajectory.
Here’s what I see often:
→ You connect with people who think like you — but don’t stretch you.
→ You feel “supported” — but not strategically challenged.
→ You’re comfortable — but not progressing.
The distinction:
→ Like-minded = Familiar. Safe. Reassuring.
→ Aspirational = Challenging. Expansive. Transformational.
One keeps you liked. The other gets you noticed.
Take a pause — Ask yourself these 3 uncomfortable questions:
1) Who are you regularly learning from?
2) Do your workplace conversations expand your thinking or recycle complaints?
3) If everyone around you stayed where they are for the next 3 years — would you accidentally do the same?
Your growth isn’t just about effort. It’s about environment.
If your clique’s ceiling is low, so is yours.
The professionals who rise don’t isolate themselves — they intentionally diversify their circle.
They network upward, across, and beyond their comfort zone.
Don’t just belong to a clique. Be part of circles that stretch you — or build one that grows with you.
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Sometimes it’s not a lack of opportunity — it’s being surrounded by people who’ve stopped reaching for more.
Want to build the kind of circle that pulls you upward? Let’s talk → https://24x7coach.com/
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