reputation

Do you care too much about what people think?

Maybe so, when it comes to what others think about your favorite clothing stores or vacation spots.  These are not the areas where you should lose sleep thinking about “keeping up with the Joneses”.  (And who are these infamous “Joneses”, anyway? Does anyone out there know? )

Your energy is better spent influencing others to care about your reputation as a leader in your company, industry or organization.  Let me help you understand  both why this is important and how you can use a simple, yet genus technique to help you create an army raving fans who will tell anyone who will listen how fabulous you are and to support you.

Everyone wants to associate with a winner.  Winning leaders in their field draw attention and recognition like flies are drawn to honey.  And winning leaders usually receive a larger share of the rewards which come with achieving such status.  (I mean really, when was the last time you participated in a huge celebration for a mediocre accomplishment?)

Society tends to celebrate, remember, and reward super-performers.  Examples of super-performers are: the winner of the NFL Superbowl, the sales rep who achieved the highest quota in her company, and the cardiologist with the best reputation for outstanding heart surgeries.  The football players get bonuses & rings (and a trip to Disneyland), the sales rep gets a huge bonus and a trip to an exotic locale, and the cardiologist gets a thriving medical practice with nice profit potential.

Here is what is key for you to add to your leadership knowledge:  Winners focus on a technique called “Reputational Niching“.

Reputational Niching is the process of so impressing those who are most closely associated with you or what you offer, that they become your raving fans and naturally spread the word about how good you are to the world.

So, how can you apply this technique to your professional life?                                 Niche

Identify and target your personal niche of people whose success or passion is dependent on your success.  If everyone else joins on the bandwagon, that is an extra treat.  But spend your energy on the small niche of ideal people that actually have a vested interest in your abilities and/or what you can offer.

In our previous examples:

  • For the football players,  their niche likely consists of their coaches, trainers, and fellow players.  Once this crew is impressed, they naturally spread the word to the sports media, fans, etc.
  • For the sales rep, her niche likely consists of her manager, clients, and fellow team colleagues.  Once they are impressed, they naturally spread the word to other company colleagues.
  • For the cardiologist, his niche likely consists of current and past patients, office staff, and fellow colleagues of the medical community.  Once they are impressed, they naturally spread the word to potential new patients and the academic research community.

Don’t let the simplicity of this technique fool you.  It can change your reputation, your professional life, and increase the probability of you always being top of mind as the #1 “option of choice”.  And EVERYONE knows that when you are the #1 winner, you are at the head of the line to receive additional perks, like new opportunities, bigger salaries, and more profits.

So now we’d love to hear from you.  When it comes to Reputational Niching, who do focus on impressing or influencing that have the greatest likelihood to share with others how fabulous you are?

Leave a your thoughts in the comment section below and let us know.  Your gift of perspective will help fellow game-changers in the Shockingly Different community!

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