You don’t own your reputation, but you shape it

Your reputation – both yours personally and your brand’s as a whole – is everyone else’s collective perception of you. 

It’s based largely on what others say to others about you, in conversations you’re not even part of. 

Your reputation isn’t yours to control.

However, you can absolutely influence it.

The first crucial step is to be clear on what you stand for and communicate it consistently (both verbally and non-verbally). This is 100% within your control.

Secondly, you must ensure that whenever people come in contact with you or your brand, their direct experience matches what you say about yourself. This is also largely in your control.

We all know of companies that spruik their commitment to customer service, yet when you contact them, you’re made to feel like the last person on earth they want to talk to.

That misalignment marks the start of a reputation problem.

Get those two steps right and when people talk about you to others or post about their experiences, it’s more likely to be positive.

Mess them up and perception will almost certainly be negative.

Credible leaders don’t chase positive perception. They anchor it through clear, consistent words and aligned behaviour.