Reputation: Why It Is One Of The Greatest Powers You Have
Who is the worst coworker you have ever worked with? Was it their attitude, work-ethic or character that made them an unbearable employee? Would you ever be a professional reference for said employee? The answer is mostly likely no because of their dreadful reputation.
Certain aspects of your life will follow you throughout your entire career, just like your reputation does. Your reputation allows you to win unique opportunities because of your network, such as landing an interview for your dream job off due to a reference given or receiving a promotion based off of previous experiences. There is a wide variety of qualities that can build a strong reputation, like being a genuine, hard-working team player. A strong-reputation creates power in many forms.
However, just as much as your reputation can help you, it can destroy you as well. Being known as the rude coworker will keep you from being invited to weekly lunches or general office camaraderie. You may think that is fine in the short-term, but in the long-term it can harm your advancement. If you are considered rude your superior many keep you off the list for client events, like sports outings, because they will not want you to harm the company’s well-established image.
In today’s society, it is extremely common to enjoy a drink (or a few) at a company sponsored happy hour, office party, or even a recreational sports league. The key to drinking with coworkers is to keep it controlled. Your reputation will never recover if you are consistently over-drinking and becoming a nuisance with coworkers or at company sponsored event. Gossip travels quickly in the work-place, do not become the center of it because you think you can still handle your alcohol like you did in college.
With that being said, when it comes to your own character, your reputation must be carefully protected. The key to this is by making logical decisions and avoiding office drama. Because of its importance in your career advancement, do not let anyone harm your reputation. It is one of the greatest powers you have.
