We Are Responsible For Our Own Reputations

Tomorrow is my wife's last day of work at Humana. She was never really happy there. All of her working life she has worked for smaller companies in much smaller offices. It was quite an adjustment for her to work here where there are thousands of people. She wasn't happy being another brick in the wall. A couple of weeks ago a job at another company literally fell into her lap. A former co-worker of hers, now at another company in a position of influence, had a need and thought of my wife. He called her and within a week she had interviewed and been offered a position with a substantial pay increase. It's an example of how the way you influence and impress others now can come back to you in good and bad ways in your future. In her case the hard work and dedication she showed a previous employer paid off. All of us, in our personal and professional lives, are responsible for the reputations we create. Everything we do, as well as the things we don't do, are noticed by others and opinions are formed. Do you ever wonder what impression others have of you? How do your bosses, co-workers, subordinates, and friends see you? What impression do you make? How hard do you work to create a positive impression? Do you care what others think? If you always do only what you want, and don't care what others think, don't be surprised when others don't think highly of you. Admittedly, it's a fine line to walk sometimes. I want to be liked and respected and there is a part of me that likes to please others. However, at the same time I don't live my entire life to meet the expectations of every person around me. It's impossible to satisfy all the expectations of parents, spouses, children, family, friends or employers. I can only adapt so much. Hopefully, there's enough good about me that most can also accept my weaknesses. I know I am not everyone's favorite cup of tea but hopefully nothing about me is a bitter drink to anyone either. How about you?