Our Reputation equals the sum total of our stories
The stories that people remember about us shape our perception in their minds; this holds true even for corporates, institutions, and other organizations. I remember stories about our teachers in school and how they formed an image about them (horrific | strict | lenient | crazy ….) even before we got to their classes. Some of these stories have lasted beyond the tenure of these teachers — such is the power of stories. Not all stories were factual. Some were closer to reality, while some others were a figment of imagination, and the Chinese whispers distorted both, the real as well as the crafted stories. Nonetheless, it shaped the perception of the batches to come and the stories were then passed on. Some perceptions, of course, changed with our own experiences and some perceptions got affirmed and morphed into nostalgia which comes alive during our school reunions.
Humans are indeed social animals; their sociability comes from sharing the stories they carry with them. Whether or not we tell our stories, people will make them up. A recent example is that of Surya Maneesh from Kerala who stood firm on her side of the road while riding a scooty as she was apprehended by a bus approaching her from the wrong side. She did not move, and the bus slowly turned left to be in the lane meant for it and moved on. The picture of her standing and apparently confronting the bus driver who was driving on the wrong side went viral as a story of a courageous girl who refused to give way to a bus driving in the wrong lane. The video story went viral garnering over 100K views. Whereas the actual story was a complete contrast; she was not challenging the KSRTC bus driver; she actually froze! In her words, her situation was like that of “a deer caught in the headlights!” According to her, it was the presence of mind of the KSRTC bus driver that saved her.
In the absence of you telling your story, people will imagine it and relay their version to the ecosystem. This unique characteristic of humans makes it imperative for us to own our narrative and reiterate it within our ecosystem to form a perception that is as close to reality as possible. This is far more critical for organizations and leaders. Social media has made this much easier on one hand, and very complex on the other; particularly, if your version of the story does not resonate well with your audience.
For me, the moral of the story is “take charge of your story before someone else does”. Your personal/corporate/ product reputation is a sum total of all the stories about you in your universe. Own them.
