“Your reputation precedes you” is a phrase that is usually followed by opportunities, investments, and partnerships.
That is because your reputation is the only thing you have when it comes to success. People will work with you, buy from you, and invest in you based on your reputation. And reputation is shaped by your character and your actions. Everything you do or say in life, regardless of your occupation or goals, directly contributes to people’s perception of you: who you are as a person and as a leader.
“If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of me.” – Dwight L. Moody
Integrity is critical to your career. When times get tough, it’s your actions towards others and your actions in addressing challenges that shape your reputation. And that is driven largely by clear understanding of who you are, your values, your purpose. Are you taking an easy way out? Are you delivering on your promises? Are you assigning blame or owning up to your mistakes? Etc.
People with strong reputation are consistent. They lead by example, they pave the way, and they don’t compromise what’s important.
“You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” – Henry Ford
There are a lot of charismatic people who are great talkers. But at the end of the day your reputation is shaped by your accomplishments. The ability to execute on a vision and the ability to reach your goals is what others will pay attention to. Being liked is a plus, but what smart people are looking for is your ability to get things done. That is the reason they will hire you, they will invest in you, they will partner with you.
“Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.” – George Washington
Your reputation is also shaped by the people you associate yourself with. Growing your network is essential for any successful business person, whether you are trying to build a business or create a personal brand. But you need to be smart in who you partner with long-term, because their reputation may also enhance or damage yours.
“A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.” – Jeff Bezos
It blows my mind sometimes when I see entrepreneurs making decisions that can lead to sacrificing the reputation of their business just to save a little bit of money in the short-term or satisfy their egos. Things like opening themselves up to a potential copy write lawsuit or illegal termination lawsuit, etc. Their egos sometimes get in the way of making smart decisions and that’s just astonishing to me. The reputation of your company and your brand are as important as your personal reputation. And a lot of times it is rooted in your culture. So don’t take shortcuts in building your internal culture, it is one of the most crucial elements of your brand’s reputation.
“There is no advertisement as powerful as a positive reputation traveling fast.” – Brian Koslow
One of the entrepreneurs I admire is Ragy Thomas, CEO of Sprinklr. He built his whole business on his reputation. He stakes his personal reputation on the promise of incredible customer service. When any of his customers experience frustration with his product, for whatever reason, he is known to fly the whole team to work through the problem on the ground. When I was one of his clients, he would call me up personally to ask for the feedback on the product and service he was providing, listening patiently and open-mindedly to every single detail I had to share. He build a strong culture internally where every employee I came in contact with enjoys working for the company. He also partners with the best.
Now, any business is not without its challenges. But if you lead with integrity and respect the people that work for/with you, your reputation will be your own marketing.
“You can’t buy a good reputation; you must earn it.” – Harvey Mackay
Some skeptics are probably thinking that if you happen to have a lot of money and powerful friends, you don’t need to work as hard on building a reputation. But money can’t buy integrity, love, long-term loyalty, and good reputation. When you only have “yes” people working for you, you are not able to build anything worthwhile long-term. The right people, who you would want to help you build your success, will only come work for you when they respect you. Plus, money runs out. But reputation is something no one can ever take away from you but yourself.
As one successful entrepreneur once said:
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” – Warren Buffett