Why culture doesn't stop at the office.

In my previous post, I talked about how I turned down a career lined up for me in pursuit of happiness and the satisfaction of loving where I work. Thank you all for the positive feedback on that. I am happy to announce that I have found the perfect mix of hard work and fun at my new position as a recruiter at IMCA Capital.

But culture does not stop at the office. As millennials, many of us seek a place where we can work hard and play hard but we tend to neglect that what who we associate with outside of work plays an important factor as well. After hosting numerous interviews, it seems as the general consensus is that we strive to find a group in which friendly competition is highly encouraged. We want to surround ourselves with those who work just as hard and if not hard than we do. That is how we succeed by pushing each other.

Often times, we find that group at work and are able to succeed and rise above but when we leave the office, we let that mentality vanish. Many of us, myself included surround ourselves with ones who are unhealthy for us. We forget that just as we search for the perfect push at work, we can also seek to find those who push us to grow and expand outside of our work life. Our professional life involves not only our work and career but it also involves our emotional intelligence and how we handle outside situations.

In addition to that, how we choose to lead our lives outside of work reflects not only your personal brand but the brand of those associated with you, including your employer.

If we work so hard to find the best culture to succeed professional, why do we strive for anything less in everything else? Always surround yourself with people who can push you further. Why let the importance of culture stop at the office?