Archive: Cultivating Your Career Reputations — from the Career Opportunities Podcast

Summary: Get this entire series (and added content) in the Kindle book, "Cultivating Your Career Reputations"! You don't need a Kindle to buy or read. Kindle book are usable via web browser and Kindle apps for your computer, Android and iOS (iPhone/iPad) devices. Today marks the beginning of a series of columns on what I consider a very important topic...your reputation. You will notice above though, that I use the plural form, reputations, in the title. While we often talk about one, monolithic, reputation, I believe that there are a series of reputations that make up the whole. Each column in this series will focus on one particular reputation that makes up your overriding reputation. By examining each one in detail, I hope to provide you specific areas where you can alter and improve your work, your actions and your thoughts so that your overall professional reputation grows. Listen to this Podcast //   Post a Job! $20 for 7 days Read the Kindle book using your Kindle, Computer or Mobile device!    It is often said that you can't "do" projects, you can only do the individual tasks that make up the project and achieve the desired result. The same can be said for reputation. You don't build your reputation as a whole, you cultivate the smaller reputations that create it. Each individual action builds your reputation in unique ways and each requires some thought in regards to how they relate to the whole. Over the next several weeks, I will be focusing on the following reputations, and perhaps more, as I am sure that each column will effect those that come after. That said, here are the major points I will be covering in the coming weeks. A Reputation for Fairness Do you deal fairly with those around you? Are your choices self-serving ones, driven by politics, fear and greed? Do you expect more from those around you than you yourself are willing to give? A Reputation for Honesty Do you tell the truth...all the time? Do you hide problems until it is too late? Do you face up to mistakes and are you prepared to correct them? Do you simply tell others what you think they want to hear? A Reputation for Decision-making Do you make decisions quickly or are you mired in the depths of analysis paralysis? Are you prepared to make mistakes, as everyone does, knowing it is a natural part of success? Are you prepared to decide, even when it means you might fail? A Reputation for Empathy Do you truly feel for those around you? Can you place yourself in their shoes when it is time to make tough decisions? Are you isolated, Marie Antoinette-style, from those around you, making decisions in a vacuum, where your only thought is how it effects you? A Reputation for Clear Thinking Is your thinking muddled and confused? Can you find your way through the confusing fog of conflicting goals, data and thinking? Do you allow others to tell you what to think instead of thinking yourself? Can you keep your head when all about you are losing theirs? A Reputation for Trustworthiness Can people trust you...all day...every day...no matter the temptations that you might face? Do you abuse people's trust while exhibiting little of your own? Are you a hard-bitten cynic who expects the worse from those around you? A Reputation for Helpfulness Are you ready to chip in and help someone, even if it isn't "your job?" Do you look for opportunities to help others, even when they might not realize they need help? Do you accept help from others easily? A Reputation for Clarity Do your co-workers understand your projects, your goals, your directions or is your work a constant litany of misunderstandings, recriminations and a struggle to make things clear? A Reputation for the Big Picture...and the small Are you able to see the Big Picture of a project and all the individual pieces that make up that project? Does your focus always fall on your area of strength, allowing other segments to falter and fail? A Reputation for Balancing Work and Self