As a leadership coach, I often help clients develop their executive presence to further grow as leaders. Executive presence is about how you show up as a leader and sometimes this can lead to focusing on one’s reputation ahead of or instead of their character. This is a mistake as character is foundational to reputation.
Character is about moral and ethical qualities, beliefs, and principles that are demonstrated in your behavior. It’s about core values and your moral compass. Ultimately, character is what people will remember and say about you when you’re gone.
Reputation is more of a general opinion or belief that others have about you based on your past actions or achievements. It includes your character and provides an overall impression people have of you. Typically, one’s reputation is built up over time spent in a particular role inside an organization.
While character is the essence of who you are, reputation is the perception of that essence.
People define your character by observing your words, actions and reactions in various situations. They will seek to understand your values and beliefs. And your character will be understood based on how consistent you are in demonstrating all of these.
Positive character traits include honesty, integrity, kindness, compassion, responsibility, accountability and many others. With such positive traits, you are likely to demonstrate a positive character regardless of the work you do. This often translates into building a solid reputation.
Your reputation is a perception by others of your character. If you try to manipulate your reputation without solidifying and staying true to your character, the incongruity will ultimately diminish your reputation.
When your reputation is not aligned with your character, this could be due to a misunderstanding, deliberate misinterpretation, or an organization’s culture. This distorted perception can then lead to damaged relationships, which may hamper professional advancement. It could also mean you’re living an inauthentic life.
To correct this, it’s important to first focus on your character and specifically your values and principles. Be true to who you are and live authentically. Ensure that your actions match your words.
Seek to understand why there might be a disconnect between who you are and who you are perceived to be. If there are relationships that need repair, be curious with those people to better understand your part in the disconnect and do what you can to fix it. This can be challenging, but when your reputation is at stake, it is vital to do the work if you want to succeed professionally.
Your character is extremely important in the workplace because it’s foundational to building trust with positive and long-lasting relationships. While having a good reputation at work is vitally important for advancement opportunities, it shouldn’t be prioritized over your character. Reputation follows character.