Legend has it that there are six degrees of separation among all people.  Not in government contracting.  Here, it’s somewhere around 1 ½ degrees.  Think of the numerous meetings and conferences you’ve been in over the years.  If it doesn’t look vaguely like the “usual suspects” of Casablanca fame, you haven’t been paying attention.  It’s perfectly normal to drive hard for successful business and to want to do your personal best.  It’s important to remember, though, that a hard elbow today could come back to haunt you later on.  While Congressional staff are infamous for never returning a call until they know they want their next job, many of us don’t have that luxury.  Government contractors, especially those who know what they’re doing, are a small community.  We’ve written before about protecting your corporate reputation, but your personal reputation is even more important.  Gaining a negative one among the relatively small cadre of contracting pros can truly harm your career and move you into that beach-side scuba selling job earlier than you thought.  Make sure you work hard, but work fair, to sustain a long term career.