Your Reputation 


The most valuable tool that you have that assures your continued employment and career growth is your reputation. Your reputation is a creation of your efforts. It is a thing that you can either enhance or destroy without anyone else’s assistance. Each day, each week, each month, each year, what you do to build a reputation that both makes you proud and desirable as an employee, is totally within your control.


The unfortunate truth, however, is that a single poor decision can wipe out all that you have built and put you back in a position of having to rebuild your reputation. Some time ago we had an experience with a former NWCS employee that had become a blue-badge. This person was caught up in a reduction in force and made the mistake of vocalizing negative feelings toward Microsoft during the exit interview.


Apparently, there was no ambiguity about the feelings this person was having.  A few weeks later, after all had calmed down, the person was offered a v- role in another group. Everything seemed to be going well until the group with which he had the too frank discussion heard of the v- offer.  Dust flew and so did a little fur, in the end someone else had to be found to accomplish the work.


Build your reputation as a good worker, an intelligent resource, a person that persists even in the face of difficulty and your reputation will ensure your continued opportunities in the future. But remember, that reputation is a fragile thing that is torn down much more quickly than it is built.  Each day you need to both add to it and guard it. Not thinking about it and just letting things slide could have you using BING to get to the unemployment insurance web site.