From WeAreTheCity’s Future Leader’s Blog
It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation and only one bad one to lose it – Benjamin Franklin
Individuals, teams and organisations all have reputations. And reputation is created over time, through words, actions and behaviours. But it’s not set in stone – a reputation can quickly be tarnished and even ruined. A reputation should not be taken for granted. In fact, it should be taken very, very seriosuly. It takes us a long time; years, months, even decades to build one and it can change in a moment.
We can have a good, strong reputation and then after a few behaviours that make others feel uncomfortable, we can lose that reputation and trust. And it takes a long time to recover that trust. We all have our own reputation – in teams, individually or as an organisation. Whether we choose to work on it or not we will have one. It’s therefore highly relevant to ask: What is our reputation? and What do we want it to be? or What does it need to be?
Every single one of us has a reputation, and it will sometimes travel ahead of us either open doors or close doors.
Social media is a great way to keep in touch with clients, business partners and other stakeholders, but needs to be very carefully navigated. A comment, an imprint lasts forever. In that way social media is very honest – we can’t erase our tracks. On the other hand, if we are thoughtful and respectful about it, we shouldn’t have to.
Reputation matters and should be taken seriously.
Do you know what your reputation says about you, your team and your organsiation? If you don’t, find out; ask for feedback. And accept it for what it is, even if it’s not the answer you wanted. Once you know what your reputation is, you can reinforce it, build it or change it. It’s not set in stone, but it can take time and effort to change. It’s worth it though – without a great repuation we will never be able to live up to our full potential.
What reputation are you creating right now? Take control of it.
About the authors
Mandy Flint & Elisabet Vinberg Hearn, award-winning authors of ”The Team Formula”.
Their latest book, multi-award-winning ”Leading Teams – 10 Challenges: 10 Solutions”, published by Financial Times International is a practical tool for building winning teams. You can download a free chapter of the book at www.leadingteamsbook.com
Praise for ”Leading Teams: “Finally a proactive approach to team leadership. The genius is that some solutions may seem almost too simple. Very engaging and useful. Christina Skytt, CEO, international bestselling author, Executive Team Coach, Power Goals Academy, Stockholm, Swede