Reputation and Credibility

1. Ethics vs Principles
2. Expedience vs Strategic
3. Compromise vs Respect
4. Betrayal vs Loyalty
5. Excuses vs Performance
6. Convenience vs Commitment 

The above are just some of the factors that go into your reputation as an employee, sales person, technical expert, business owner, or company. Ideally in each case you want to be on the right not the left. 

Let’s briefly take each word left first than right to see the difference in conduct and how that affects your reputation and character. This in turn affects trust and without trust there is no good will and without good will there is no business. 

Starting with the left: 

1. Ethics – seem good but what if your basis revolved around money – this implies you would do anything to acquire it – lie, cheat, steal, sleep with a client to get a sale, you get the idea
2. Expedience – this is consistently taking the easy way out
3. Compromise – this is for many means taking shortcuts
4. Betrayal – this is not holding in confidence what is share by a client
5. Excuses – false reasons why you did not perform
6. Convenience – thinking short term and doing what is easy now 

New lets go to the right: 

1. Principles – these are hard standards of operation and conduct
2. Strategy – making long term plans and goals and moving toward them
3. Respect – being known for being a business and person of your word
4. Loyalty – being true and faithful to your contract, agreements, mission and client
5. Performance – providing tangible and documented results with respect to what you agreed
6. Commitment – being able to be counted on to do exactly what you say when you promised to deliver 

So which business or business person do you want to work or associate with? Which would you like as a client, employee, vendor or contractor? Which would you trust with your businesses' well being?