A reputation can be made in an instant and take much longer to repair. Something as simple as a misguided email exchange can ignite a reaction, followed by a judgment call, and there you have it, a reputation is born! A reputation is a powerful thing. Right or wrong (and we've all heard this before), perception is reality.

A person's reputation can affect their career in both large ways and small. Many times a person seeking an internal move, who is well qualified technically, may not be selected due to their poor reputation. In such cases, the typical answer back to these individuals as to why they didn’t get the job is that “it wasn’t a skill match.” A bit of trickery, you say? Maybe, but theoretically, it’s true. Being able to interact well with others at work is an absolutely critical skill to possess.

You can probably recall a time when you avoided asking a coworker for help—and not because they didn’t possess the skills to help with your task, but because their notorious bad attitude made it not worth the effort. In fact, you can probably rattle off a few names of people that you would rather work around, than with. You might not have even had firsthand experience working with them—but you’d heard enough to conclude that you were better off not getting involved with them.

On the flip side, you can probably also think of someone that you seek out regularly because of her positive approach. Someone with a good reputation is more likely to be sought out and consulted. Thus, a good reputation can grant you more opportunities to demonstrate your value to your organization.

An earned reputation isn’t just dependent upon your technical skill. The totality of performance is not only what you achieved, but also how you achieved it. How you move through your workday, how you respond to, interact and collaborate with people and projects—all these will likely be evaluated formally in your annual performance review. Individuals who feel that it's all about the results and show little value for the people part will begin to take this more seriously when there is an official record of her behavior. If that doesn't work, maybe receiving a smaller merit increase will.

The Power of Feedback

Think for a moment about yourself. What would a group of co-workers sitting around the lunch table say about you, should your name come up? Does it match what you would want them to say? If you don't know, you should find out. And how does one find out? The answer is simple: feedback.

Feedback is a gift. And similar to gift giving, you may not always like what you receive. If your reputation needs work, ignoring it is not going to help you, nor will it make the perceptions about you less real. That said, people are not always willing to volunteer feedback. And even if you do ask someone to help you out directly, you may get a response lost in a coat of sugar, or, even worse, you are told that no issues exist.

Don't be afraid to ask for feedback. We don't live in a perfect world. That's why asking for and providing feedback is essential. If people are truly uncomfortable with providing feedback face to face, a 360-degree feedback assessment is a great tool. This process involves select individuals and groups of people that have high visibility and insight to a person that is seeking feedback. All responses (other than those from the managers) are anonymous. The person seeking feedback also has an opportunity to rate themselves and see how aligned they are, or not, with other assessments.

Be ready for the feedback, and keep an open mind. If someone says something that you weren’t expecting, or something that you believe is untrue, don't react too strongly or get defensive. Remember, people who take the time to give you honest feedback are trying to help you. Seek to understand their observations and ask for examples. Make sure to thank them for their time. Then take some time to digest everything and decide what you want to do with the feedback provided, if anything. Hopefully the feedback is valuable and makes sense to you.

Cultivating Your Reputation Is An Ongoing Project

Having said all of this, keep in mind that you can’t please everybody—and you shouldn’t try to do so. There are some people who, no matter how hard you try, will not give you a chance or change their mind about you. If that’s the case, and the person doesn’t play a significant role in what you do on a regular basis, then let it go. Maybe it’s their reputation that needs work.

Moreover, don’t let the fear of earning a bad reputation cause you to shy away from all conflict or stifle your creativity.  If you’re in a meeting and have a conflicting opinion or a point that doesn’t seem to be addressed, don’t withhold your ideas. Your thoughts could lead to a better solution. Collaboration is good; and healthy conflict is good, if done in a productive, professional manner. Avoid personal attacks and don’t get stuck in your own position. Rather, seek to understand another point of view. Ask questions, and be curious, but keep your ego in check and LISTEN first! Strive to make your case respectfully, and assume that everyone in the room is operating from the same place of good faith as you are. The ability to work through a complex situation can strengthen one’s reputation.

Maintaining a good reputation doesn’t mean that you must be perfect at all times. Rather, it all boils down to an awareness of how you come across to others. To keep the pulse on your reputation, make sure to sustain positive interaction and collaboration. Model the behavior you want your team and others to follow. We're all human, and we will undoubtedly have an off day here and there. When it happens, circle back, course-correct, and learn from it. Your reputation is worth it.

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