Is Loyalty Overrated?

[Rob Bergeron]

There's a version of loyalty that's actually just inertia dressed up as virtue.

You keep working with the same people. Use the same tools. Stay in the same rooms. Not because it's still the right move — but because it used to be, and nobody's had the hard conversation yet.

Here's what I've been thinking about: loyalty has to be re-earned. Not constantly, not anxiously — but it can't just be a debt you carry forever based on what someone did for you three years ago. Business moves. Markets move. People move. Some of your people are building something. Some are coasting toward an exit. And those two groups require very different things from you.

The toughest decisions I've ever had to make weren't between good and bad. They were between good and better-aligned. Between someone I respect and someone who's chasing the same rabbit I am.

That's not disloyalty. That's stewardship — of your business, your team, your time.

Think about the relationships you're carrying right now. The vendor you keep using out of habit. The partner you haven't re-evaluated in two years. The colleague you refer business to because you always have. Now ask yourself honestly — are they still growing? Are they still hungry? Are they still chasing?

Because here's the reality: people change. Life circumstances change. Business situations change. Some people hit a certain level and they're done — comfortable, coasting, checking boxes. Nothing wrong with that. But if you're still building, still pushing, still trying to get somewhere — you cannot afford to be anchored to someone who's already parked.

You can honor a relationship and still outgrow it. You can respect someone's history and still make a business decision that moves you forward. You can wish someone well on their way out and mean every word of it. The goal isn't to burn anything down. It's to be honest about where you're going and make sure the people around you are pointed in the same direction.

Some people are riding into the sunset. Some are just getting started. Know which camp you're in — and build accordingly.

"The only people I owe my loyalty to are those who never made me question theirs." — Unknown

Nearly half of U.S. residents are struggling to pay rent or a mortgage right now. MBA mortgage applications just dropped 10.9% in a single week — the largest decline since September, and the first drop in five weeks after a brief run of momentum. 

The 30-year fixed is sitting at 6.16%. Rates are up. Buyers are pulling back. And sellers are feeling the squeeze from every direction. That's not a bad market. That's a motivated seller market. When buyers get scarce and financial pressure builds, sellers stop playing games. They want solutions. They want speed. They want someone who can actually close.