I am proud to be a “sorority girl”.  I attended Miami University and was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.  I developed many lifetime friendships and created countless memories.  I have never once regretted my decision to make Greek life a part of my college experience.  Unfortunately, the Greek system at Miami has been under fire recently.  Two sororities made news headlines for their inappropriate, nearly unspeakable behavior at their annual formals.  Thankfully Theta was not one of these sororities, however the negative attention still ends up tarnishing the name of the entire Greek community, not to mention the reputation of the university.

 

Reputation.  Such a powerfully fragile thing.  Even as alumnae who have been removed from campus for a few years, I have friends who have been confronted by co-workers with accusatory questions like “Weren’t YOU a sorority girl at Miami too?”  All of a sudden what used to be an esteemed affiliation is now looking more like a scarlet letter. And it happened almost overnight, because of the actions of a few bad apples.

 

I believe there is an important lesson here that can directly apply to any organization.  All it takes is a bad apple to ruin a reputation that takes years to build.  This is not a new concept, but it’s one that I feel is worth being reminded of from time to time.   Each person you hire, each partner you choose, each vendor you select is a representation of your firm.  And these people now have a louder voice and greater visibility than ever before.   With vehicles like LinkedIn and Facebook, the whole world knows who is connected to your organization. These people become the face of your company, and their words, actions and credibility (or lack thereof) can trump any marketing message you blast.
 
At Ambassador, we take our reputation very seriously.  We do our best to only hire people we believe will honor and uphold the values of our company.  It is not uncommon for us to cite our values in business meetings where sensitive personnel issues and decisions are being discussed.  From time to time, we use them to call each other out (gently and respectfully, of course).  These values, fondly known as our Core Values and Values in Action, act as our insurance to protect one of our most valuable assets – our reputation.

 

Maybe you have a similar value system at your company, or maybe you have another mechanism for preserving your reputation.  Maybe not.  And if that’s the case, allow my cautionary tale of inappropriate sorority girls to serve as a reminder that the actions of a few can far overshadow those of the majority and leave everyone affiliated with a bad name.  Be deliberate and selective with those who represent your organization.  Make your expectations known.  Take the necessary corrective action when issues arise.  If you proactively monitor your reputation it is far less likely that you’ll be stuck doing damage control.