A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Proverbs 22:1
“A good name is better than pocket money,” is a popular proverb that is often retorted. But what exactly does this mean? In all my professional years I have found this to be true. Our reputation might be our most important asset in our professional journey.
A combination of preparation and hard work builds trust and can bring great success to our personal lives.
If we are to have long term success, we need to guard our reputations because what other people think about us really can make or break us. Warren Buffet has said that “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” Our reputations are fragile and will break easily if they are ignored.
In today’s ever rapid world with the proliferation of varying social media platforms, things has even become more complicated. Anyone anywhere in the world can say anything they want about you or me and it is instantly out there. You can’t take back that information once it’s sent. Things go viral and when they do, it’s a Pandora’s Box. Judgments are made, sometimes with few facts. Emotions tend to take over and perception becomes reality to those who don’t really know you. My dad used to say that your reputation is what people say about you when you are not in the room. This is such a true statement.
All this might sound troubling, but we can employ helpful tools to navigate this space. Firstly, we need to know and live our values every day, minute by minute. John Maxwell puts it this way, “Your core values are the deeply held beliefs that authentically describe your soul.”
Stand resolute and do not change according to the situation or how the wind blows. There’s always going to be pressure of one kind or another which often causes us to pause and think, should I just do this thing this one time; after all I see others doing it. Imagine what will happen if others discover that you did this, whatever it is. Small decisions made in the moment are what builds or breaks a good reputation.
