Tiger Woods and YOUR Reputation

Want a glowing reputation in your business and among your clients? Learn the basics of PR first!

The definition of PR is: good works well publicized. Therefore, if you’ve done something good, you need to let others know about it. This makes for easier and smoother working relations. PR is the “grease” that makes the wheel turn easier, especially when trying to sell a new idea. Without it, you’ll have to sell yourself first and then your idea.

Simply doing good things or producing great products is not enough. You need to publicize these to gain credibility and agreement with others so as to influence them positively…. Go ahead brag about it, you did a great job, let your reputation precede you for a change. It will pay off later.

Have you ever had a great idea, but didn't know how to communicate it? Or have you been afraid of getting an idea shot down, so you never even brought it up? Do others tend to focus on you and not your ideas or what you're saying? Or do you ever feel the need to exaggerate or even lie to get your point across?

If so, you may need a PROM or a Public Relations Optimization Makeover!

But how do you get others to listen to and agree with your ideas? With REALITY that’s how.

Reality is the level of agreement you share with others. If you see something and believe it is a certain way and your co-worker or client does not, you are out of agreement. You share no reality on that topic or idea you are discussing. Therefore, no amount of sales talk would close the deal at that point. The talks may even end in a bitter argument or may get personal. You may wonder what happened or where it went wrong.

Be real. Don't lie.

Two words: Tiger Woods. I love Tiger Woods as a golfer, but as a PR man he blew it. He lied and lied some more and then some more, and they all (the lies) finally caught up with him and swamped him and his career. The only way back for him is with the truth and reality. And then we can all agree again that he is the best. At that point, he will once again be able to communicate to us and we will listen and he will win. So, in public relations, NEVER LIE. It's the fastest way to career suicide I know.

How do we find out what's “real” to the public? ASK! Ask people plenty of questions until you know what they’re thinking. Then you can give them what they want at a level they can understand.

A survey is done to find out what is real to the certain person or public or demographic you are trying to influence. You need to know what their reality is to communicate to them more effectively and therefore gain broader agreement and credibility for you and your ideas. 

So what if your reputation is already poor? What should you do?

Perhaps you or your company has suffered from a negative PR problem already and you're facing an uphill battle. Perhaps the gossipers have been gossiping and the rumor mongers have been mongering. Perhaps office politics are a part of your office culture.

There is a way out:

1. Speak up.
2. Disprove the lies and the rumors.
3. Speak up more and make your good works known more broadly!
4. Repeat steps 1-3. Speak louder and prouder and you will arrive in the PRZZ (PR Zen Zone) and life and your work will be easier….

In summary, your PROM should result in a PRZZ. 

Inigo Montoya and YOUR Job Security

You can be happy in your job. Your career can grow and be exciting once again. Work is simply defined as: activity with a purpose. Thus play could be defined as purpose-less activity. If you’re going to be doing something in life and if 7/10ths of life is work, then just clarify the purpose of your work and you’ll have a happier life. Work does not have to be annoying and painful. It’s only when we lose sight of our purpose and what we’re doing and who we’re helping, etc. that we run into trouble.

So you’ve examined your purpose and now you feel like you’re contributing to the overall desired product of your company. And it feels good to be a player again! You can now look yourself in the mirror and know that you are on the road to prosperity and security. But, in come the barriers, the hurdles to overcome, the delays and company politics. Are you going to sink or swim? You’re going to swim my friend, and then you will be surfing on a wave of self-confidence.

Self-confidence has a lot to do with job security. But it's that old Catch-22 deal again of “you can't have one without the other”. So, as I said in my last article Tiger Woods and YOUR Reputation, you have to get your PROM (Public Relations Optimization Makeover) ON! You need to toot your own horn more often. If you've done something good or perhaps won an award or simply thought of a great idea, don't be afraid to tell others about it. It's called communication. It's good for you and them.

Here's a good visual for you that correlates to this message. The kind of purpose and confidence I want you to strive for was last achieved by Inigo Montoya in the classic 1987 movie The Princess Bride when he uttered those famous lines: “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” He said it over and over and over and over through all of his fears and self doubts, he just kept on repeating those lines and trying to believe in them and in himself. He was the most determined and persistent and self-confident man I have ever seen, well at least in a movie. And although it was very funny, it does serve a valuable point here. It was his self-confidence and determination that got him through all of his emotional barriers and eventually enabled him to reach his goal. And thus, he was finally happy and secure.

As we learned from Senior Montoya, don't ever take a step backwards on the question of your self-respect. You want job security and life security, well you're not going to get it from buying insurance. And although having money in the bank helps, it can't buy you the things we are talking about here. We're talking about you and your integrity and honor. Those are the things that “buy you” the security you’re seeking. The most insecure and unconfident you could get would be DEAD. A step up from that would be the criminals and the homeless. If you were able to talk with them and find out how they got into that position, you'd find out they’d each lost their self-respect somewhere along the line. So don't deny yourself or invalidate yourself or excuse yourself for being you. And don't do unethical or stupid things which you later regret.

It's never too late to dream. Although some teachers and parents and “modern psychology” try to squash imagination, it is one of our most prized possessions. If you still have yours, USE IT! If you've lost it or believe daydreaming is not healthy, try changing your mind. Imagination and dreaming are the key components of creating a happy and secure future. Splurge on them!

Are you willing to make the changes necessary and do what needs to be done? How hard are you really willing to work at this? When your career is over and you're headed into retirement, are you going to look back and smile or yawn?

I want you to smile. Some hard work and effort now will provide hours upon hours of storytelling time to the grandchildren in your senior years. They will be so thrilled and so will you. Practice is what makes perfect. So practice what you preach now and become expert and skilled and the best at what you do. And study and learn and take a course and improve and practice and you and your grandchildren can thank me later. Look at yourself and your career, as it is. Not as it was or as it could be, but just as it is right here and right now. From here you can build. You've created something. Very well done. Now build upon it and make it better and insist those around you try a little harder to and you’ll soon float right up to that magic cloud you’ve had your eye on for all these years.

Here’s a Job Security Action Plan (JSAP) for you to follow:

1. Put your purpose into your work.
2. Step up your confidence game. Make Inigo proud.
3. Respect yourself in all you do. Knockoff the self-criticism!!
4. Dream more and use your imagination to create better ideas.
5. Practice to become the best at what you do- even Tiger Woods practices golf.

So, how do you know, if you're really making a difference in this world or not? Isn't it who you know or company politics that gets you ahead or determines your fate? Are you still asking yourself if security and happiness are possible?

You are making a difference in this world. Look around you and your environment and your workplace and see all the positive effects you’ve created. It is you who determines your fate. Think of security and happiness as action verbs, not as stagnant nouns. We are happiest and most secure when we are busy and productive andcreating our lives. All the stories you will tell your grandkids will be about when you were living life. Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. Prepare to LIVE!