Don’t shoot the messenger!

I inserted myself (as I have a tendency to do) in the middle of a two folks who had a disagreement with each other. Note to self: Don’t do this in the future, people tend to shoot the messenger!
In this case, though I think both appreciated this and actually welcomed my interjection. In the process, I learned something about both people’s reputations. More importantly, I learned how important reputation is, how fast rumors travel and how as you develop a history, you travel with that history wherever you go. Success in life is often about pleasing the herd. One mishap in your past can easily spook the herd and lead a stampede away from you.