-Karthik Gurumurthy
“You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.” – Henry Ford
I love this quote from Henry Ford. It reminds me of one of the qualities I admire most in great leaders: they do what they say. They follow through and keep their word.
As leaders, people are always watching us. They see what we do and who we are. They notice our mistakes, our bad days, and how we handle tough times. They see how we treat others and how others treat us. Most of all, they notice whether we follow through. If we keep our word, they trust us. If we don’t, they won’t. Our reputation is built on what we actually do, not on what we promise to do.
Our word matters. If we say we’ll do something, we need to do it. Our reputation depends on it, and so does our ability to lead. When our team can’t count on us to keep our promises, we lose their trust, team spirit drops, and our reputation suffers.
So how do we do this well? What do great leaders know about building a strong reputation and keeping their word?
“It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” – Often attributed to Benjamin Franklin
“Repetition makes reputation, and reputation makes customers.” – Elizabeth Arden
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