Power Law 5 – Guard Your Reputation With Your Life
Just in Time #410 - Insights from Robert Greene's 48 Laws of Power
Perception is more important than reality when it comes to your reputation.
Building a reputation takes time. In the short term, take advantage of people’s inclination to make up stories rather than rely on facts. Despite the cliché advising against judging a book by its cover, people do it anyway. That’s why the YouTube thumbnail matters.
It is useful to pick one outstanding quality around which to establish your reputation.
A solid reputation increases your presence and exaggerates your strengths in a way that can substitute for proving your competence. “Your reputation precedes you” are powerful words that can do some heavy lifting before you are required to lift a finger.
Reputation creates an aura that you can use to instil respect and fear.
But first, you must pick the characteristic on which you want to stake your reputation. Some characteristics to consider are generosity, honesty, trust, perceived competence, consistency, proximity to influential people, adaptability, and resilience.
Think of building your reputation in the same way that you might pick a high mountain to climb. You want to pick the right mountain.
Let the mountain represent the characteristic you want to anchor your reputation.
Climbing a mountain requires preparation and planning. You must consider the long-term strategy and the short-term tactics that will get you to the top of your mountain.
Climbing your mountain is a long, upward endeavour that takes years of commitment. You don’t want to get halfway up your mountain and find out you're climbing the wrong one.
There will be times when you must rest, and progress will be slow. You will face technical sections for which you don’t have the skills. You may have to pause your climb while you educate yourself.
The higher you climb your mountain, the bigger the risk you face.
Joe Rogan has the biggest podcast audience in the world. The corporate media continually tries to slander him and push him off his mountain. They are threatened by his audience size and reach.
At the top of your mountain, you will experience the same thing.
A downside of a reputation not built on a big enough foundation is that it can be fragile. In the building phase, you must do whatever it takes to protect your reputation without getting angry and defensive.
Keep your head down and climb - calm, consistent pursuit every day.
Justin Spencer-Young