A Reputation Is All We Really Have

I was recently accused of an impropriety, that was false, but it got my blood to boil. It made me think why others might perceive me as dishonest or out of line in what I was doing. Then I tried to put it all in perspective and realized that in the final analysis, when we breath our last breath, when they stick us in the grave, that all we really leave behind is our reputation of being a "good" person or not. So for the record, I want to be known as a good, caring and honest person who helped others become better and helped lift them up in some way.

We hear of scandals on a daily basis, how a person of high standing did something to or with someone that was "inappropriate" or "misguided" or "off color". Whether or not it is true, the damage has been done and others may begin to mistrust the individual or may no longer hold this person in as high esteem as before. If the tale is true, then so be it, but if the tale is a falsehood, then it may become a tragedy.

In our political world and in the business world, opponents or competitors will at times stretch the truth or take a comment out of context, and use it to besmirch another's good name, product or reputation. I guess that tactic is as old as the world. Remember the serpent used it to incite Cane to kill his brother Able.

So here is my suggestion; if you think someone is dealing falsely with another, maybe it would be a good idea to do a little investigation to determine what is really going on before you publish a condemnation of the person. You could even go to the person directly and ask them if what you are seeing or hearing is correct. If you are the person whose reputation is being slandered, then maybe you can stand up and correct whatever is happening or out of line, or defend yourself if it is a falsehood.

The reality is that we all live in a world of imperfect people and we all make mistakes. We must be sure that we do our best to be totally "above board" and act as honestly as we can. Don't even go close to the edge of right or wrong, stay away from that ground so there is no misunderstanding.

If we behave ourselves in a manner that is always appropriate, then we will develop a reputation of being a good honest person. Clients and customers will know this and will be more apt to do business with us. When the obituary is read at our memorial service, let's all hope that the person giving the obit will have nothing but good to say and that the listeners will agree. Good luck.

Six Signs of a Healthy Business Partnership

On my flight down to San Francisco this past weekend, I was reading an interesting article all about how most married couples could not fathom the concept of working together day in and day out. As I read it I had to chuckle as my husband and I have successfully ran a business together every day for the past ten years and have grown closer and have been able to build a stronger business because of our partnership.

Although we are married there are certain principles we follow that have helped us to shape a strong, productive professional partnership that hasn't broken down despite the immense amount of challenges we have faced. These six signs of great partnerships have become very apparent to me over the past few years and I hope they help you become a better partner to your partner (whether spouse or otherwise).

    They trust each other: When Dan makes a plan, I trust that he has my best interests at heart and that he has the capacity to do a great job inside his role without my interference. I don't second-guess his choices nor question every move that he makes.

    The respect each other: I don't tell him how to do his job (unless I can share some helpful input) and he doesn't tell me how to do my job. I verbally honor him in front of our colleagues and regularly express my gratitude to him for what he brings to the partnership.

    They give each other the freedom to mess up: Neither of us is perfect and both of us have made some big mistakes in the history of running our business but we are committed to letting the mistakes stay in the past and to not let them interfere with the organization's future. We don't blame, judge or criticize but work together to pick up the pieces and move forward.

    They play to their strengths. I don't try to do his job and he doesn't try to do mine. We give each other lots of space and don't attempt to manage each other. I accept who he is and the limitations he has as a leader and he does the same for me. We meet in the middle and work as a unit instead of looking at it like a who-is-the-best contest.

    They are honest with each other: Because we trust each other, we can be honest with each other when it comes to making difficult decisions. We share our doubts, fears and apprehensions with each other and don't worry about looking weak. The communication is open and we both accept that sometimes we may see things differently and have the permission to talk about it.

    They both are willing to "take one for the team": When something needs to be done that neither want to do, both are willing to do it if it is necessary. One doesn't push the dirty work to the other without being willing to do his/her fair share of work that sucks also. They strive to keep a balance and make sure that one person isn't having all the fun while the other handles all the mess.