Why Celebrating Others’ Success Can Expand Your Career

In a recent LinkedIn post, Justin Welsh discusses how celebrating other people’s wins can shape a person’s ambitions and career. This article examines Welsh’s reflections and advice in that post; it is journalistic coverage, not an article written by Welsh.

“Some of the best leaps in my whole career came from being around people who were winning and letting that energize me instead of feeling threatened by it.”

Turning comparison into momentum

Welsh argues that jealousy can narrow a person’s outlook, while proximity to ambitious peers can make progress feel more attainable. He connects that idea to an early-career experience: joining a startup in December 2009, where he says he worked alongside highly capable colleagues who pursued improvement and welcomed ambition.

According to Welsh, their habits influenced him. He writes that their effort and openness to ambitious goals “rubbed off,” presenting the experience as an example of how a peer group can affect what someone sees as possible. His account suggests that other people’s success need not be treated as a threat; it can serve as encouragement.

Choosing a circle that supports growth

Welsh also relates the same principle to his decision to build an online business beginning in late 2018. He says he wanted to be around people who valued creating something independently, would challenge him to improve and would celebrate his progress. In his view, a supportive circle makes room for ambition instead of asking people to remain average for others’ comfort.

“Build a circle of peers like that. Where progress is completely normalized.”

Make encouragement reciprocal

Welsh’s advice is not only to seek out supportive peers, but to become one. He urges readers to cheer when someone else reaches a milestone first, framing encouragement as part of a culture where progress is normal. That reciprocal element matters to his argument: a healthy network is built through both receiving support and offering it.

“And be the kind of person who cheers when someone else gets there first.”

The post ends with a brief call to action: “Clap for your friends. Then go build something they’ll clap back for.” Welsh also includes a link to a free guide for people considering a one-person business. The link gives the post a practical next step, while its central message remains focused on mindset and peer relationships: celebrate others’ achievements, build among people who encourage growth, and pursue work of one’s own.