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Hi boys, time for another educational Mr. Mafioso article by yours truly. Do any of you have a friend that is considered a good guy? You know, the type of guy that when talking about him you always throw in the "he's a good guy" line. Of course you do; I do too, and so do most people. He's the type of guy you'll invite to your parties and to play poker on weekends. The kind of guy you would like your daughter to marry one day. And why does everyone think so fondly of your man? Because he built a good reputation. That's right folks, simply having a good reputation makes everything you do that much easier.

a good rep takes time

A good reputation is not something that is achieved overnight; it's the product of persistent action over time. A lot of people spend their days shooting their mouths off (which is why we have Big Al hanging around, he makes sure these loudmouths stay in their place). But shooting your mouth off won't get you anything but a rep for being a "blowhard." A good reputation is earned by saying the right things and following up with the right actions.

So what kind of actions will help you earn that golden rep? More than anything else, you have to do the things that will affect people in a good way. From carrying Mrs. Gambino's groceries home for her when you were a kid to spending the night caring for a sick friend -- you get the picture. You don't necessarily have to do big things, but you must do a continuous string of small good deeds.

a bad rep takes no time

So here you are, Mr. Joe Blow working hard at building a solid reputation. You own a business and have been smiling at customers and offering them the best prices for over 20 years. Everything is peachy; in fact, you have a reputation for having the best produce section in town. But what happens when you switch wholesalers to get a better price and the produce isn't quite as nice anymore? This is when your rep gets hit.

Even if your margins are up and you are happy, customers are complaining. The next thing you know, business has dropped and you aren't seeing many familiar faces anymore. What happened? Word got around that you aren't quite what you used to be. In other words, you're slipping, and your 20-year rep was destroyed in a matter of weeks.

how you get a bad rep

How many times have you seen a respected member of your community, an elder businessman, politician or school principal destroy their hard-earned rep with one incredibly stupid action. The principal gets caught with child pornography; a politician gets caught in bed with two hookers and 10 empty vials of crack; hospital administrators get caught with their hands in the cookie jar, embezzling hospital funds that should have gone to help sick people get well.

My point is that it often takes a lifetime to build a good rep, but it only takes one day and one stupid action to destroy it. So watch your step.

reputations stick

The thing to understand about a rep is that it sticks. As you start out in life and begin building your reputation, people will label you with a good or bad rep (some people have a neutral rep, but they aren't usually good for much, so I won't waste my time discussing their pathetic case). If you have a good rep, you can usually get away with doing some bad things while keeping your rep intact. People may say things like "he strayed from the path," or "he had a lapse in judgment." Either way, they won't hold it against you for very long -- assuming the behavior was temporary.

The problem is when you get labeled with a bad rep early on. Even if you go to church every Sunday and help old ladies cross the street, people will still think you are a bad apple waiting to wreck havoc. Don't ever forget: A reputation is for a lifetime. Do you think anyone will ever trust Jim Bakker again? Me thinks not. He can repent publicly for the next eternity and promise he will never do it again, but it won't change a thing. He's been labeled a bad apple and that's the way it'll stay.

Dollar bills make their way from bad reps to good ones... Next >>