Your reputation is a funny thing.
In many ways, it’s one of the most important things you have.
A strong reputation can give you opportunities you could never imagine.
A weak reputation can slam doors in your face before you even realize what’s happening.
A reputation can take a lifetime to build but be lost in seconds.
But you don’t have just one reputation.
You have as many reputations as there are people who know you.
Or think they do, anyway.
Some of these reputations were set in stone in an instant. Maybe it was one of your best days. Or maybe it was one of your worst.
Others were shaped over decades by people who have been around you and watched you through all the ups and downs of life.
But you can’t really control your reputation. It lives in the minds of other people. You can influence it. You can show up. Keep your word. Apologize when you’ve messed up. But you don’t get to decide how someone really views you.
It’s so easy to get caught up in what people think of me. Do they like me? Respect me? Do they understand me? I’ll never be someone who doesn’t care about other people’s opinions.
But lately, I’ve been asking a different question about my reputation:
How can I be generous with my influence?
I’m not saying I’m an influencer. And I’m not saying I have a lot of influence. But I do have some. And I’ve decided I want the story I share about myself to reflect a giver’s mindset.
This week I had the opportunity to talk about influence with a group of leaders. We talked about how we can be generous with the platform and perspective we’ve been given. Here are the values I shared about being a GIVER with my influence:
Be Genuine: Try to be myself and show up as a real human, consistent with who I am as a person.
Be Invested: Give my time and attention. Be invested in people. Be interested in people, not just pushing my own agenda.
Be Vulnerable: Share where I’ve fallen short, where I’ve struggled, and how I’ve learned and grown.
Be Encouraging: Nothing has changed me more than trying to be more encouraging to the people around me.
Be Receptive: I don’t know everything. I need to listen. Be curious. Ask questions.
If I show up with a giver’s mindset consistently, I’m comfortable with wherever my reputation happens to land.
I can’t control what people think of me.
I can control the story I share.