Are You Ruining Your Reputation with Recommendations?

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”  ~ Warren Buffett

Earlier this year my colleague Jack shared a tale of his endorsement gone awry. One of his clients requested a recommendation for a teaching residency. He gave the request careful consideration and felt comfortable endorsing an associate.

Things quickly went downhill from there. It began badly with the teaching artist’s failure to contact the client in a timely manner. Strike one.  No contract was sent outlining the artist’s expectations and no follow through with the requested residency plans. Strike two. During the first week of the residency the teaching artist publicly complained about specific problems to the wrong people. Strike three.

The client contacted Jack to share his displeasure regarding the recommendation. Jack was extremely embarrassed by his colleagues’ lack of professionalism and apologized profusely. Then he began to worry. Would the client’s negative experience affect his own reputation and work in the community? Jack had certainly given a hearty endorsement of his colleagues’ skills, background and expertise. Would his opinion no longer be valued?

Jack’s experience reminded me of the many times I have recommended colleagues. I know when I offer an endorsement I am placing my own professional reputation on the line. I am thoughtful about whom I recommend and part of my process is not only considering a colleague’s talent and organizational fit, but their professionalism as well.

Establishing positive name recognition (See Branding: It Doesn’t Have to Hurt http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2009/07/branding-it-doesnt-need-to-hurt.html) can take years and it is one of our most valuable commodities; in fact, it is priceless. Yet, our progress can quickly diminish when our name is attached to someone's less than stellar work, and with the plethora of social media outlets today bad reviews will spread quickly and efficiently. . (See 10 Tips for Crisis Management in the Digital World in the article section below.)

I’m sure you have heard of the Five P’s of Success: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance and before I endorse anyone I check my own list of P’s.

My Five P’s of Professionalism

ü  Proficient
ü  Prepared
ü  Prompt
ü  Pleasant
ü  Polished

My check list for my direct clients as well as those that come from colleagues is the same:

ü  Answer the client’s email inquiry promptly.

ü  Speak directly with the client to ensure both of our needs are met.
ü  Send out contract in a timely manner detailing cost, mileage, etc.
ü  Contact client a week before the presentation. Clarify objectives.
ü  Send a thank you note to the client after the project is complete.

My colleagues and I often discuss how storytellers/teaching artists are not always treated with the same respect as other professionals. There are countless stories of potential clients assuming we will work for little or no money. Many do not understand the commitment, energy, and expense our work entails. (See The Tools of the Trade at http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/09/the-tools-of-trade.html ) Consequently, when one colleague acts in an unreliable manner it reflects poorly on everyone, perpetuating the perception that we are not professionals.

When we are privileged to receive a colleague’s endorsement, both your reputation and theirs is on the line. We owe it to them, our community and mostly to ourselves, to put our best professional foot forward. Together we can change perceptions one step at a time.

*Jack is a pseudonym

ARTICLES

4 Ways to Keep Up Your Business’ Online Reputation

http://blog.allstate.com/small-business-online-reputation/

Seven Ways to Ruin Your Professional Reputation

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2013/01/14/seven-ways-to-ruin-your-professional-reputation/

10 Tips for Crisis Management in the Digital World

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ekaterinawalter/2013/11/12/10-tips-for-reputation-and-crisis-management-in-the-digital-world/

Handling a Reputation Crisis: Ways an Entrepreneur Can Handle Social Media Posts

http://www.forbes.com/sites/drewhendricks/2013/11/08/handling-a-reputation-crisis-ways-an-entrepreneur-can-handle-social-media-posts/

How to Ruin Your Professional Reputation

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2013/05/20/how-to-ruin-your-professional-reputation

Reputation: You Can’t Run From Your Shadow

http://www.franksonnenbergonline.com/blog/you-cant-run-from-your-shadow/


Was there ever a time when one of your recommendations went awry? How did you handle it? I would love to hear your stories in the comments section below.

Karen Chace 2013 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.