Reputation and GSBeyond

With just 5 weeks remaining at the GSB, the thought of the real world looming around the corner made me reflect on the past 2 years here at Stanford. I couldn’t help but wonder:

What was my reputation? and what would my reputation be going forward?

This afternoon, we got the chance to hear from some recent alums who shared a number of insights on what reputation is, and how important reputation is post-GSB.

Turns out, reputation is everything.

• There is a distinct difference between being liked, and being known —
  A number of alums mentioned how even in professional settings that they were liked based on their perfect seeming and well put together personas, however those around them gave them feedback that they didn’t really feel that they knew who they truly were. There is a certain beauty in being messy and open, and it allows those around you to truly know you for who you really are. This made me think back to my first week at the GSB when all I wanted was for people to like me — it took me a number of quarters to be comfortable letting others know who I truly was.
• First impressions truly do matter — one of the alums shared a familiar story. “I didn’t like you at first, but after I got to know you, I realized that you were awesome!”. This story really struck a chord with me. As someone who identifies as an introvert, I immediately thought of all the people in my life with whom I had probably initially landed on that way. Putting the effort in each time you meet someone new is crucial so that they truly see the version of you that is representative of who you really are.
• Your reputation isn’t really yours, but it does depend on what you put out there so be intentional and make the effort — Building on the above, how we choose to interact with others and how we deviate from our ‘mean behaviors’ give us the opportunity to show broader ranges of ourselves, empowering us to better connect with different groups of people. That said, we all agreed that it is impossible to please everyone — it is, however, pivotal to know the audiences we do care about, and to be the best version of ourselves for them.

Reputation is a way to open up opportunities.

Reputation is how people feel when they talk about you when you’re not in the room.

Reputation is an indication of someone’s willingness to connect with you.

Regardless of what our current reputations are, these alums reminded us that our journeys are only just beginning. Most importantly, we need to feel empowered to own our reputations and to never stop being intentional about how we treat those around us.