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March 20, 2006
Your Word and Your Reputation
PHOTO: The Responsibility of Words
And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No"; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
(The Bible, Matthew 5:36-37)
According to Os Hillman, a Christian marketplace ministry expert, the value of words is an important concept for us all to grasp. As an evangelical Christian myself, and a business and communications professional, these principles are really important. However, they should be important to all of us.
Imagine for a moment that you are living in biblical times when the scripture above was first spoken. It is before Jesus has begun His public ministry. He is a carpenter in your local town of Nazareth. Now imagine you have asked Jesus to make a table for you. You're on a deadline and you must have it in a week. You agree on the price of $100 for the table and the date of one week for completion.
A week later you arrive to pick up the table. You lay your money down on the table and Jesus says, "Mr. Johnson, I am sorry but the table is not ready. I ran into complications. Also, I can no longer honor the price I gave you. It is now $150 instead of $100." Two years later you hear about this same Jesus who is preaching to the local townspeople.
How are you going to view this Jesus? You probably won't give much credence to His message because of your personal experience. Our lives have an ability to reinforce the message we stand for, or they can violate it and make it totally ineffective. This literally happens all over the world today in different settings. Our message becomes ineffective because we have not done what we said.
I know people who, when they tell me they plan to do something, I can expect them to follow through about 50 percent of the time. I am sure you have had the same experience. Words and commitments are made with little meaning behind those words.
However, I know others who will follow through almost every time. The only time they don't is when something falls outside their control. I quickly learn whose words have substance behind them.
There are times when we are unable to perform or deliver what we promised due to outside influences. The key to turning these potentially negative circumstances into an amazing opportunity is communication. If we are unable to pay a bill on time, we must communicate with those we owe and make a good faith effort to resolve it within our means. In these cases, God's purpose and personal reputation management are both being performed if we seek to do the right thing. Everyone, including the author, can learn from this reminder.
PHOTO: Words of Value
A few reputation management tips from the Reputation Doctor regarding your word and your reputation:
• Do your words mean anything to those who hear them?
Be brave and seek feedback from others. Choose three honest and trustworthy people who really care about you for their feedback. Be willing to hear areas which need improvement because it will really help your reputation.
• Do you make commitments and fail to follow through on them?
Your word is your bond. You communicate to others you are not trustworthy when you don’t keep your word. Be aware of the promises you make with others. Your words are communicators of promise.
• Pray to the Lord today to show you how you are doing in this area.
God created us in His image and He seeks only one thing: our faith in His Son Jesus Christ as the only way to Him by believing and receiving Jesus as our personal Savior. If you want to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ today, pray this prayer like I did in 1997 that changed my life - eternally: Lord Jesus Christ, I admit I am weaker and more sinful than ever before believed, but, through you, I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank you for paying my debt, bearing my punishment, and offering forgiveness. I turn from my sins and receive you as Savior. Amen.
Remember, do the right thing when your reputation is in crisis and seek the counsel of an experienced reputation management expert. It will be a major challenge, but ultimately the rewards of repairing your reputation will be great. Why? Because Your Reputation Is Everything! ™
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About Mike Paul
Mike Paul is editor of The Reputation Doctor blog. The Reputation Doctor is a nickname given to him by various clients. Mike's blog is located at www.ReputationDoctor.com. He appears regularly on Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, Court TV, ABC News, ESPN, CBS News, BBC, and others as a weekly contributor and expert in the global news regarding leaders, celebrities, corporations and other organizations with reputations in crisis. Mr. Paul is also president and senior counselor of MGP & Associates PR (www.mgppr.com), a leading strategic public relations and reputation management firm based in New York. For interview requests, speeches, senior counseling or other business opportunities with Mr. Paul, call 212-595-8500 or email info@mgppr.com.
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