Your Attitude Sucks !!!

In business today, we need to be aware of our reputation.
The mistaken posting of drunk photos to Facebook, that night in a club when you attempted the worm and collapsed in a heap on the floor that somebody chose to post to You Tube (George!), the indiscreet tweet, that badly written blog (steady), or even feedback from a meeting where you weren’t on top form.
We are all involved in the new reality of business. 
We’ve moved from a place where we used to follow the opinions of our  “betters;” those that society had deemed were our leaders.
Politicians, bankers, the police, certain high profile celebrities. The tide has turned.
Even as I write this, it’s becoming increasingly apparent how far we’ve come, moving from blind faith to constant questioning. 
Expenses rows, financial meltdowns, media inquires and you-know-who have all changed forever the way we view the world.
And this change is facilitated and accelerated by the increasing ability to build our own groups, both in business and socially.  
We’ve created our own communities and we believe and seek the opinions of the people we know.
It doesn’t matter if that’s a huge community like your Twitter followers, Facebook friends, the guys at work, or the members of your book club. 
You know them, they know you, and their opinion counts.
That’s why it’s horrible and damaging when that opinion turns against us. 
And once it’s out there, as the old saying goes, you can’t unring the bell.
Here’s a quick real life example. Some years ago, my sons who were both very young actors attended a workshop for Nanny McPhee (I said it was a while ago). They were in the final shake up for parts but for the first and last time they became involved in a pushing contest about which group they were to be in.
One son has left the business, but the other one is constantly reminded of that incident by the casting director, who he sees regularly eight years later.    
So unless you’re Oliver Reed (ask your granddad) or Paul Gascoigne (ask your dad) or Justin Bieber  (ask your daughter), you need to be managing your brand and ensure it lives up to the promise of you.