Nine times out of ten, I would attend these birthday lunches, because (1) it signaled to my colleagues that I appreciated them, even if I didn’t; (2) my manager asked each of us to go, so clearly it was important to him; and (3) my attendance allowed me to learn the dynamics of our team and hear some of the office gossip that I would never have known otherwise. I don’t like office gossip, but it taught me whom I needed to connect with and whom I probably should stay clear of at work. I was also able to observe my colleagues in another light and learn who I could trust to add to my squad. As
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