how do you develop a reputation (for anything)? do you 'own' or 'earn' a reputation?

Question

who must you impress- or depress- in order to have a reputation? how is one assigned, or is it instead developed by you? how can you 'shake' a bad one, or cultivate a good one?

Answer 1

Management gurus, public relations people-- this is a question they ponder about all the time. It isn't easy. It is like trying to manipulate something that isn't under your control.

The urge to know what "they" think about you is pretty natural. You can never be sure; and words of praise don't mean anything when it comes to reading and taming minds. The human mind is a dark, deceptive, fickle place. That's the reason you shouldn't try to impress or depress it. It is tough to maintain a reputation for a crowd. Do it for your self. I risk being thought of as a preachy babbler by saying- the person you should be trying to impress is yourself and no one else.

We all have a heightened sense of individuality. Everyone cares about his own reputation even more than the one he is managing the public relations for. Uhh... that's my way of saying that we all are selfish.

To cultivate a good reputation, one should live life like the flutist who closes his eyes while playing the flute. He is not playing to please you, he isn't even looking at your smirks and critiques but, he is being true to himself. He is listening to his own voice of reason and seeking guidance from the fruits of his own music. The crowd is impressed!

How do I shake a bad reputation?
Suppose I didn't take or return my friend's calls or messages and he is mad at me for doing so. He thinks I don't value our friendship. How would I go about shaking this image of mine? I won't run away from it or pretend that nothing happened but, neither would I try to change his mind about me with deeds or words. I would accept the accusations, try not to argue against the charges pitted against me and would take action (or inaction) on the basis of my own sense of judgement. The important thing is-- did I do anything against my conscience?

To cultivate a good reputation-- I don't think you need to be extra-polite, politically correct or extremely talented. As I said- no one really observes your manners as deeply as compared to the way you strive to maintain them. The way you are is enough to fetch you a decent reputation. Others are busy maintaining theirs. As Mr. Gandhi said- "Just don't do to others what you won't like to be done to yourself" and you'll be fine. (I am afraid what I am saying might sound clichéd and redundant.)

How is a reputation assigned to you? Or is developed by you?
That's a tricky one. Small instances add up to create a reputation. One slip of tongue makes you foul-mouthed, one wrong move and you are ill-mannered. It further substantiates my point that you shouldn't give much attention to bad repute which slips into the scene without your knowledge. It was unavoidable and human mind is fickle. Just keep playing the flute the best way you know.

Answer 2

I think anyone who comes on here looking for advice from a "gender psychologist" is pretty stupid. You don't know that any of the answers you get come from experts so you shouldn't treat anything as expert advice. They're just other peoples' opinions. If people are really concerned about their gender identity they should speak to a psychologist about it face to face if they feel they need to. They will have verifiable credentials. All you get here is opinions from people. Hopefully some have actually gone through this themselves, but they're still individuals and just because they went through something and whatever they did about it was right/wrong for them doesn't mean it will be the same for the Asker. People should weigh up all the answers and maybe take something from a few or all or whatever but it's just to help them start to form an idea of the real answer. They can never provide a real answer here. That's something they'll have to discover themselves or with professional help. Even if someone was a real psychologist they'd be unlikely to be able to provide proper advice here simply from answering a question. It would take many sessions of face to face therapy to be any kind of help. So I don't think it does much damage, people should be careful and exercise common sense.

Answer 3

Some very good points given. I just wanted to add to this discussion because I have expereince with it and have been cultivating a reputation for many years now in my business. When you first start out - it's an empty board - nothing good and nothing bad... as we live our lives and do or not do things - people make judgments about us. Who we are, how we are, what we are... slowly our reputation grows... We can have a personal reputation and also a business one.

Reputations are definitly earned. It is by ACTION that you EARN it. Having a reputation for something wether good or bad - means you are known for what you have done in the past - and anticpated to probably repeat it similarly.

IE: "trouble makers" at school earn bad reputations through their behavior. They are caught time and time again making problems, having fights, hurting others or vandalizing property... all these things are actions that impact them negativly. Most people don't want to own such a reputation (but I'm sure there are a few who look for it) most people want to get out of it and wonder how to "shake" a bad rep. I believe that there are only two ways... 1) is to have exemplary behavor at all times, along with a LOT of persistance. This will very slowly turn your reputation around. (people are hard to persuade from neg to positive - so it could take a long time or maybe forever) and 2) If a really bad case of rep - the only way to get over it - may be to start fresh by moving and starting out on a "clean slate"

Reputations come from the thoughts of others, and are passed along many times in the form of gossip, hear-say, or first hand experience. Reputations are hard to overcome - (either way... sometimes it's the "bad person" trying to become good - but every now and then it's the "good guy" that *Everybody - *THINKS* is good - but ends up being bad... However because of his "good reputation" - many people don't believe the bad things about him that may very well be true)

So reputation comes down to actions speak louder than words... It really doesn't matter what a person says about him/her self, but it's what they DO in front of others that reveals things about them. Then it is at that moment when others, see it, and start to talk about it, that a reputation is born and starts to grow.

Answer 4

Lots of questions within a question, but first I'd have to say a reputation can't be "owned," like buying something. It's earned. It's who you are, and/or what you do--not impressing or depressing. I'm assuming by 'shake' a bad one, you mean your personal "image" as seen by others, & most importantly, how you "see" yourself. We all need a little "grooming" from time to time, & input is good, but never rely totally on it. People preceive us so differently. How do you perceive yourself? You can always modify, in tune with your OWN moral compass. Someone may "assign" you a reputation. This usually means virtually nothing. People have become famous (or infamous) for professions, mostly "creative" (!?) when in their heart of hearts, they know they're a sham. Who is the INNER you?

Answer 5

I guess a reputation can be defined as other peoples thoughts and feeling surround you. You earn or own a reputation by doing a certain act in front of other people consistently. You can then become reknown for that particular act and can be expected to do it again.

That is reputation.

In order to shake or impress other people and gain a good reputation you must do a consistent impressive act for another person or people.

Answer 6

reputation can only be EARNED! the two prerequisites are charateristic and ability!

charateristic: when you respect others and do what is right, u will earn the respect of others~ for example, when 2 best friends drink and got drunk, 1 of them would just relax and the other would trun into a crazy, shout and swearing at anybody. which of them would u respect or have good impression?

ability: work hard and achieve your goals! this will prove your ability to others and people will respect u for your accomplishments and bring u reputation!

good luck!

Answer 7

by continuously engaging in acts that define the particular label (or repuation that is)