November 19, 2012
Young Professionals, Protect Your Brand: Top 5 Career No-Nos (Petraeus Edition)
Gen. David Petraeus’ messy love affair has made the headlines of every local and national news outlet around the world. And the story continues to unfold as his mistress, Paula Broadwell, reportedly went public with her regrets in the aftermath. As investigations, public uproar and new developments continue, let this be yet another cautionary tale for young professionals. The earlier you begin habits that will ensure your brand credibility and positive legacy, the better. Here are the top fives no-nos to take heed to in ensuring you protect their brand and legacy early in the game:
1. Fight the urge to send personal messages through company e-mail accounts and phones. It doesn’t matter how much you trust the recipient or how “innocent” you think the correspondence is, just avoid it.
2. Having an affair is wrong, but doing it with someone you work with is even messier. You could lose your spouse and ruin your home life, but you also could jeopardize your job and freedom. Yikes.
3. Oh, and dating your boss or a company superior is not usually the best idea either. You may be able to come up with many reasons and justifications for this type of relationship, but based on the success rate of this, it may not be a good look in the long run.
4. Turning to threats —especially when there’s much to lose professionally—is quite risky. Broadwell alledgedly threatened another one of Petraeus’ reported flings, Jill Kelley. Not only did it lead to their exposure, but more FBI investigation into Afghanistan war commander Gen. John Allen, whose
5. Be aware that things done in the dark eventually come to light. Your boss or fellow coworkers may not know today but they will know tomorrow. Be careful what you do at the workplace, you never know what could happen.