As the regular readers of YII (and subscribers to the Mogul Mindset eBlasts) know, YII is a HUGE fan of “Survivor” and other reality shows. Reality shows are chock full of life lessons one can apply to all aspects of life, especially one’s career.

After all, what is your office but an isolated oasis where you are forced to coexist with other humans for long periods of time, doing the “civilized life” version of building shelters and starting fires and participating in immunity challenges? What is getting fired but being “voted out,” having your torch snuffed and being forced to make that long walk out with all of your belongings, often without so much as a parting word to those watching you go? You get the idea.

Maybe you work with ”Coach,” a ponytailed whackjob with a penchant for referring to himself as a “dragonslayer” and telling stories you’d have to be crazy to believe. Or a pint-sized schemer “Russell” who allies with everyone and is loyal to none. If you are lucky (in my opinion), you work with a “Boston Rob,” who plays hard, but almost always shows you the smartest move, if not the most ethical.

But in “Survivor: Allstars,” there is a gentler lesson to be learned. Some people do change. Even a self-proclaimed office “dragonslayer” can be reduced to a gaffawing teenager when faced with a romance or even a bromance with another player. A morally-challenged strategist like Boston Rob can become a provider, insisting on building fire for the tribe when no one else thought that there was a chance of success. And Russell… well, not everyone changes.

So as you travel your career path, allow for the possibility that a former villian can become heroic, but also the chance that whoever you made the alliance with had their fingers crossed behind their back. It’s the smart way to go. 

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