Work

Hanging With the In-crowd

Every company will spawn a self-selected elite group of insiders. But whether it's a force for good depends on what draws them together.

By Judith Sills, published on November 01, 2007 - last reviewed on August 19, 2009

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  • You Want to Be There. Frankly, not everyone does. Some of us deliberately avoid identification with any subgroup. We prefer to be "floaters."
  • Your Personality. Sometimes the people with power really are the ones with charm and charisma. Naturally, everyone wants to be around them.
  • Your Gender. In-crowds run by old-boy networks or newer girl groups may not exclude the other gender. But you have to be willing to play by their rules.
  • Your Boss. A mediocre CEO might surround him or herself with yes-people. Or he might only feel secure with those he's known forever. Short of refining your suck-up skills or waiting for regime change, there's little you can do.
  • Your Organizational Structure. Some groups, schools for example, identify a subcategory of people as "leadership council" of some kind, which becomes an informal in-group. You have to get yourself on the council to be in.
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