“Consider reputation: Who do other people think you are?”- Marshall Goldsmith 2011.

Interesting comment I read from the Coach on Friday morning as I was going through my mail; and it made me stop to think- Who do others think I am- and am I creating the correct impression about myself publically and professionally? And if I’m wondering, how many others are taking stock on how or what they are perceived to be?

When you get up each morning- Are you excited to see a new day, or is it something that just happens every 24 hours? Do you have a sense of excitement on what lies ahead, or do you have doubt and misguided ambition instead? Do we look to others to help start our personal fire, or do we look at others with envy over the perceived “better life” they seem to be leading.

Reputation is a tricky thing, If you have a good one- Great, alot of time and effort went into its creation and the ability to stay above-board is something to be commended. If your reputation is kind of grey, maybe now would be a good time to see where you left the path, and try to rejoin at the next available fork in the road.

To me reputation means the willingness of others to allow me to work alongside them on important projects, having the ability to comment on the plan ahead (and be taken seriously) and the ability to lead a life where there is some balance-that I am not leaning too far in either direction. Sure I look to others for help, but I think about the who and the when, as I do this; and try to involve the best people I can at the time to accomplish the job. If I decide to go outside the box and search for new talent for a job, the reputation of that person does weigh in on how fast I try to include them. Each task should be something to be proud of, and that only happens when a top-notch team are working together, in sync.

A bad reputation may create an aura around someone, that will leave questions about their abilities, their temperament or motivation, or even their desire to be their best. Possibly they just had a bad run, and now all they are looking for is a second chance- but the grey cloud of indifference is making it hard to take them seriously. This makes for some bad mojo; which will take alot of effort to change to the positive.

I like to believe all people are capable of change, and even though someone’s reputation can be polished or sullied at the drop of a hat, sometimes you have to ask yourself “ How am I perceived by others: and do I need to try and change their opinion of me?”

At the end of the day, we are all accountable for our own actions/ inactions and they will play a serious role in our future activities, future job prospects, or future life-choices. It doesn’t really matter how long the journey takes; so long as in the final home stretch we can honestly say, with no hesitation, that we did the absolute best that we could do, and if the option arose to repeat the activity, or work on a similar project, that we would take all the experience we have gained and say “Yes, I would be happy to join you! Thanks for asking my opinion”

Happy Canada Day to all Canucks out there and Happy 4th of July on Monday for all American readers. Over this weekend take a second to think about where you stand on this issue, and are you really as good as you think you are, or should you step back and allow someone else to temporarily take the reigns. There is nothing wrong with being the second-banana; I’ve spent alot of time there. But I will say it is better there than leading a crew with a whim and a prayer, and no knowledge.

As ever, I hope I have given you…”Something to Think About.”

©2011 thedanieljsmith