While the importance of a good reputation is not new, the environment in which you are working to build a good reputation is. Here are some suggestions for what to do if you think you may not have a positive reputation at work.
Visibility
Don’t Know What Kind of Reputation You Have at Work?
Partner with your manager or your Human Resources business partner on ways for you to gain greater insight into your reputation at work.
How to Have a Positive Attitude at Work
Having a positive attitude at work is a vital part of building a good reputation. A good attitude requires that you show optimism, flexibility and politeness. If you’re struggling and tend to be perceived by your colleagues as having a negative attitude at work:
Quality is in the Eye of the Beholder
In order to influence the “beholder,” there are some key behaviors that help make sure you distinguish yourself among your co-workers. Most of your co-workers would consider that quality exists when work is done with the highest degree of excellence.
Quantity and Quality = Your Reputation
As recently discussed, the quantity of work produced and the quality of your work are keys to creating your good reputation. Let’s face it, if you produce a low quantity of work and the work you do produce is low quality, your days are numbered. Even the best attitude and behavior will not offset low quantity and poor quality.
Producing Good Work and Your Reputation
Having a good attitude, demonstrating good behaviors, and acting with integrity are only part of the reputation equation. In today’s fast-paced organizations, it’s almost assumed that your work production is good. Even colleagues who demonstrate a good attitude and good behaviors may find themselves in job jeopardy if they’re not producing good work.
Behavior and Your Reputation
Attitude reflects the intangible choices that you make regarding people and situations. Behavior reflects the tangible choices you make which influence your reputation.
Behavior is easier to define than attitude, since we’re able to see behavior more readily. While you can see some aspects of attitude (i.e., a smile on an optimistic colleague), behavior is where the “rubber hits the road.”
Attitude and Your Reputation
Your attitude plays a vital role in your reputation and how others perceive you.
Articulate Your Reputation
Your reputation is built on a never-ending series of choices that you make every day. And in today’s transparent and frenetic organizations, your choices are seen by more of your colleagues, and faster than ever before.
The Power of Choice and Your Reputation
The work that I do with my leadership coaching clients often focuses on the power of choice. My clients like talking about the concept of choice as they aspire to be more focused in what they choose to do and how they choose to do it. Often, however, in situations where my clients do have a choice, they erroneously believe they have no choice.