Who are the people you should surround yourself with when you’re making a major career pivot? Who are the people you should avoid spending too much time with when you’re facing some career challenges?

In Episode 44 of Career Relaunch, Adrian Knight, managing director of Knight Franchises, shares his perspectives on how to handle the range of people who affect your career plans. He’ll also share some insights from his experiences helping professionals transition out of corporate life into franchise business ownership and discuss how franchising can be a doorway to career change. I’ll also share my personal thoughts on the importance of being selective about who you allow to be a part of your career and life decisions.

Key Career Insights

1. Sometimes, you have to take a hiatus from people who may have some preconceived notion of how your life should look so you can focus on what you really want.
2. Be careful about allowing others to critique your career decisions. They may not share the same outlook on life, values, or perspectives on what truly matters to you.
3. Remember that your choices are not always going to make sense to others. Make sure you surround yourself with people who believe in the agenda you’ve decided is best for your life.

Tweetables to Share

Resources on the people you allow into your life

• 3 People You Should Connect With When Changing Careers- Joseph Liu’s article in Forbes
• Great quotes on how to handle negative people in your life- Pinterest
• 37 quotes on how to deal with negative people- Bryce Lewis

Listener Challenge

During this episode’s Mental Fuel segment, I talked about pinpointing someone in your life who’s been a positive force for your career.
It could be a good friend, a family member, a colleague, or even an individual you’ve JUST been following online. Then, take the time to get an extra dose of their presence in your life this week. You could drop them a note to say hello, set up a time to reconnect over the phone,