Why Reputation is Your Most Important Leadership Asset

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN

“Your reputation is in the hands of others. That’s what the reputation is. You can’t control that. The only thing you can control is your character.” ― Wayne Dyer

I recently spoke with a nurse who was applying to our graduate program. One of her letters of recommendation was missing from her file and holding up her admission process. I asked her when I should expect it. She told me that she had asked her nurse leader for the letter and she enthusiastically agreed to do it. “But this is the problem”, she observed, “she often says she will do something and then there is no followup. I am not sure I can count on her to have this in by the deadline.” Over time, nurses on her unit had learned that they could not completely rely on their manager to follow through on things she had agreed to do. Whether she realized it or not, she was damaging her reputation as a leader.

In his book The Power of Reputation, Chris Komisarjevsky makes the point that people will listen to what we say, watch how we behave, and take note of the results of our actions. Success and reputation is ultimately built on a foundation of character, communication, and trust.

Character

President Abraham Lincoln described character as a tree and reputation as the shadow that is cast. This is a wonderful metaphor for describing the importance of character as a fundamental building block in your reputation as a leader. Your character is your values and how you live them. It is being able to look at your behavior and decisions using long-term thinking. It is understanding that as a nurse leader, if you commit to doing something then it is important to follow through.

Communication

A second key component to your reputation is your ability to communicate effectively. Communication needs to be in an open, thoughtful manner that encourages the input of others. It is building a culture that respects the viewpoints of others, and promotes engagement. It is being authentic so that your communication matches your behavior. It is also the ability to monitor your own responses to situations so that you are not overly emotional.

Trust

Trust and reputation are closely linked. You will not have the type of reputation that you may desire as a leader if others feel that they can’t trust you. It is the foundation in relationships. In an earlier blog on the Trust Edge, I discussed the 8 pillars of building trust. The trusted leader is followed. It is trust and not money, that is the currency of leadership, business and life.

The most important message in this book is that as leaders, our individual reputation is up to each one of us. We control what we do and what we say. We control how we behave and, as a result, how others see us. Reputation is not something that just happens, nor is it something that we should leave to chance.

Your leadership reputation is both personal and professional. Komisarjevsky makes the interesting point that there really isn’t any distinction between our personal and our professional reputations which brings the challenge of figuring out what’s sharable in the workplace and what’s best kept at home. Over time with attention to what matters, we can build the kind of reputation as nurse leaders that will serve us well. But it also must be genuine or else it will not stand the test of time.

Read to Lead

Komisarjevsky, C. (2012). The Power of Reputation. AMACON Publishers.

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