Being a leader is about living your life in a way that inspires or encourages others. Here is the next in my series of monthly newsletters, each with a section on the skills you need so you can be a leader of your life. To lead is to serve. If you make it your goal to do the best that you can and to help people, then you can't fail. I encourage you to commit to keep learning.

The content below is extracted from Mike Holt's Leadership Skills - Taking Your Career to the Next Level.

Your reputation is produced by the impressions you make on others with your actions, how they’re perceived over time, and the stories that are told about you.

Live a life that builds a positive reputation in all of your endeavors, both personally and professionally. Endangering others by doing shoddy work, cutting corners, not following through on promises, or having a poor attitude, causes you to lose the confidence and respect of those around you and rebuilding your reputation and relationships is very difficult, if not impossible.

Your reputation is critical to your success. An image can be “cleaned up” over time, but your reputation—not so easy. Your reputation must always be guarded and protected. Cultivate honesty, fairness, and quality work in everything that you do—with your employer, employees, customers, and peers. Establishing a good reputation is the key to progressing to the next level. Word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful sources behind getting a job whether it’s employment or a contract for services. You can’t expect a good reference from an unsatisfied employer or customer.

Of course, we all make mistakes. It’s important to recognize when one has been made. When they happen, face the consequences, and commit yourself to learning from them. For example, you might not follow through on a promise you made, or you might have had a bad day that resulted in a bad attitude. The first thing to do is apologize. Next, figure out the reason it happened and take steps to prevent the same thing from happening again. The key is to minimize actions that damage your image and reputation.

How good is your reputation? Generally, how do you think those around you would describe your reputation? What would you expect it to be—good, fair, or bad? What might have caused you to have a less than desirable reputation? Take some time and ask for honest opinions. Whatever you do, don’t be angry if it’s not as good as you think it should be. Be humble, and take steps to improve. On the other hand, you might be pleasantly surprised by good things that might be said.

Your integrity is the foundation of your reputation. This doesn’t mean you need to be squeaky clean and have no enemies. What it does mean is that you need to strive, from this point forward, to be principled, and keep your integrity as strong as possible. When it comes down to It, whether it's a personal relationship or a professional one, people want to know that you are committed, competent, dependable, likeable, and trustworthy.

We'd love to hear from you about this series, and the ways you're using it. Send us your comments and feedback by clicking on Post a Comment below. Look out for the next part in this series a month from now, and please share with your colleagues.

To review or catch up on previous newsletters on business and personal development click here.
The above content is extracted from Mike Holt's Leadership Skills textbook.

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