Failing to Live Up to Your Reputation

It can be a good thing

I recently came across a headline about a large service operation not living up to its reputation. Normally, you would assume that would be a criticism. In this situation, it was different. Sometimes, not living up to a reputation is a big positive for you.

In the particular story I referred to above, a major airport not known for excellent traveler experiences, surprised the writer because the experience was satisfying.

The perceptions, expectations and “verdicts” of critics and observers can change. That’s good news. For that to happen, people need and subconsciously require interactions and observations contrary to what they have experienced that have led to their strongly-held, critical, upset beliefs about you as a person, group or organization.

One such action can sometimes help noticeably lessen the intensity of a stinking reputation. Consistency of understated improvement, of course, is the golden highway to changing people’s “verdicts” on you and the figurative “sentences” they give you for what they deem as immoral, “you should know and do better” crimes.

Hopefully, this is encouraging insight that is seen as practical. Will this response work in all situations, as an absolute? I won’t lie: Of course not. It can and does work in a large amount of situations where a reputation is considered untrustworthy or rotted.

Better to correct course and start with one improved response and repeat it over and over as the new or (better) old habit before a mistake, error or ridiculous failing.

Michael Toebe is a reputation consultant, advisor and communications specialist at Reputation Quality, assisting individuals and organizations with further building reputation as an asset or ethically protecting, restoring or reconstructing it.

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