How to ruin your reputation in one step.

I want to talk about your reputation. In business, it means everything. Some people, however, go out of their way to save their reputation and single handily ruin it in the same step. How is this possible? Covering up a mistake. Yes, not taking responsibility and fixing the mistake will harm your reputation for a long time in business.

Business guru John Brandon recently wrote, “The more you've done to hide a mistake, the more you will be despised. The alternative? Fess up right away. The sooner you come clean about losing a signed contract or getting into a fight with a competitor, the more time everyone has to deal with the problem and take corrective action. Let the mistake stay hidden and you are setting off a time bomb. When people find out, your reputation will suffer.”

I couldn’t agree with his advice more. Lying or trying to cover up a mistake irritates not only the customer, but those within the office. It takes more time and energy to correct a lie then it does to apologize and fix a mistake. We are all human. Being accountable and making mistakes are part of this process. Embrace it and learn for each experience versus trying to hide from them.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett