As they waited to be called into the courtroom, two men were discussing their jury duty assignments. Both were teachers. 他们等候时叫到法庭上,两个人正在讨论他们的陪审员任务。两人都是老师。

Juror 1 relayed how glad he was that he was able to get a substitute and didn't have to ask the assistant principal to stand in. 陪审员1说他是多么高兴,他可以胜任,不必问副校长去获得。

Juror 2 complained, "The assistant principal at my school couldn't run my class if she wanted to. 陪审员2抱怨说,"在我学校副校长如果想要我的课，我则不能上。

She doesn't even have her teaching credentials!" 她甚至没有教学资质!"

Juror 1 sensed that he was about to get an earful so he quickly asked, "Do you by any chance work at Lakeview High School?"  Juror 2 said that he did. 陪审员1感觉到他即将听腻了,所以他很快就问,"你有在湖景中学工作的机会吗?"陪审员 2说,他做到了。

Juror 1 replied, "You must be talking about Elaine. She's my wife." 陪审员1回答说,"你必须谈论伊莲。她是我的妻子。

Talk about an awkward situation! Like Juror 2, too few people realize that what they say and do can offend people and will likely have a ripple effect on their lives. 谈论一个尴尬局面!就像陪审员2，很少人意识到他们所说的可以冒犯人,可能会对他们的生活产生连锁效应。

It may be for a week, or it may be for a lifetime. 它可能是一个星期,也可能是一辈子。

At the heart of today's lesson is the reality that it is indeed a small world. 今天的课是现实的核心就是它的确是一个小世界。

What's more, the pervasiveness of the Internet in our personal and professional lives has shrunk our world even smaller. 更重要的是,在个人和职业生活中互联网的广泛性缩小了我们的世界。

As a case in point, I've seen statistics ranging from 50% to 70% relating to the percentage of employers who now Google prospective employees. 作为一个例子,我看到统计数据有关的比例，从50%到70%不等，是现在谷歌有前景的员工的雇主比例。

In my case, every time I talk to some body important, I always google them. 就我而言，每次我去见重要的人我都会先人肉他们一把。

By now, everyone has heard the career advice, "Don't burn bridges," and "Never say anything bad about a former employer in an interview. 现在,在接受采访时，每个人都听到了职业建议,"不要过河拆桥,"和"从不说前雇主的坏话"。

" I would go a step further and tell you, "Do not burn bridges in any area of your life. Period!" "我将更进一步,告诉你,"在任何时候都不要过河拆桥!"

Consider a few of these very plausible situations: 考虑这些似是而非的情况:

The elderly person whose tire you change on the side of the road may be the brother of the chairman of the board at your company. 那个在路边你帮忙换轮胎的老人可能是你公司董事会主席的哥哥。

This act of service may be the difference in getting that next promotion. 这种服务行为对于下次职位竞升起着重要作用。

The hostess at your favorite restaurant whom you always treat respectfully may be the daughter of your most valued prospective client. 那个你最喜爱的餐馆的迎宾女招待，你对她总是很尊重，她有可能是你你最重视的潜在客户的女儿。

The neighbor you wave to and smile at every morning may be the person in charge of hiring for that job you really want. 你每天早上招手微笑的邻居，可能是负责招聘那份你真正想要的工作的人。

On the other hand: 另一面：

The woman at the club whom you have treated with a cold shoulder may be the wife of your husbands most important customer. 你对那个在俱乐部的女人冷淡相待，她有可能是你丈夫最重要的顾客的妻子。

The man standing behind you in the grocery store who heard you being disrespectful to the cashier may be one of the business leaders on the scholarship committee at your daughter's school. 那个在杂货店站在你身后的男人听到了你对收银员不客气的言语，他可能是你女儿学校奖学金委员会的一位商业领袖。

The coworker you excluded and made feel unwelcome at your last job may be best friends with your new boss. 在你上一份工作中，你排除在外让你感到不受欢迎的同事可能是你新老板最好的朋友。

The older I get, the more of these small-world "coincidences" I see. 年龄越大,我知道了这些小世界的更多的"巧合"。

I have come to understand and appreciate that we live in a connected world, and these connections play a vital role in our lives. 我开始理解并且欣赏我们生存在一个相互关联的世界，这种联系在我们的生活中起到了至关重要的作用、

The truth is you never know who someone knows or whether they might enter your life again at a future date. 事实是你不知道谁知道或者他们可能会再次进入你的生活在未来某个日期。

Why risk alienating anyone? Besides not being a nice thing to do, it can have devastating effects on your reputation. 为什么要冒险疏理任何人？除了不是一件值得做的好事，它还会对你的名誉产生毁灭性的的影响。