The biggest fear in doing business is becoming distant, and distance means having to stick to principles.

Business people rarely talk about principles. They talk about favors and mutual obligations—only by weaving each other’s interests together can a relationship last.

Social mobility rarely avoids these three steps.

1. Align yourself with someone more powerful or attract investment by building a connection of shared interests.
2. Keep your head down and focus on developing yourself.
3. Survive the crackdown from the very person who once held power over you.

Why did the manager who once promoted you become your harshest critic later? He can’t make sense of it—hadn’t your relationship been good before? The answer is simple: he promoted you back then because you were junior and posed no threat. He needed you to intimidate his long-tenured subordinates. Later, when he suppressed you, it was because you had become one of those veterans, he had nothing left to give, and you were starting to feel like a threat.