Like it or not

You are your reputation.

Yikes!

That’s true, but scary because while you may be able to influence your reputation, you don’t actually control it.

Your reputation is what other people who’ve known you think of you.

While none of us expect everyone we’ve worked with to love us, it would be nice if, at the least, they liked and respected us.

That hasn’t always been the case for me, especially when I was younger and a bit less diplomatic.

Truth is, you build a good reputation by becoming a person who deserves one. That takes lots of time, often many years.

And the longer someone has known you, the more they should know the real you. Not the you of one bad monthly. Not the you during your divorce.

The you that shows up and does great work every day.

The you that shows empathy and compassion for others.

The you that understands the ups and downs of life.

With everything else on your plate these days, it’s worth thinking about your reputation now and again.

You’ll probably need it one of these days, and it’ll be too late then to change it.