Daniel Pink explains David McClelland's research on reference groups: the small circle of people you spend the most time with shapes your motivation and achievement. Choose partners and friends who set high standards and challenge you, because surrounding yourself with low-ambition people will drag you down.
A big chunk of your success depends on this one thing. David McClelland, a professor at Harvard Business School who did some foundational research on motivation and achievement, discovered that much of our success hinges on what he calls our reference group, the small number of people you spend the most time with. By deliberately choosing that reference group, the people we learn from, the people we compare ourselves to, we significantly shape our own motivations and achievements. Some people set high standards for us. Being around them makes us better. Some people, well, they did the exact opposite. So choose wisely, your partner, your friends, your collaborators. Your success is shaped by others closest to you. Surround yourself with people who challenge and inspire you.
