Character or reputation

Today's Business Lessons

Character or reputation
 

BUSINESS MATTERS (BEYOND THE BOTTOM LINE) 

By Francis J. Kong (The Philippine Star) 

Updated October 21, 2012 

“He had a sterling reputation. He was always seen in the right places, with the right people. He converses so well, and he’s so gentle and humble. Everybody speaks well of him, so I thought he’d be an ideal partner at work. I was so thrilled when he joined the company… only then did I get to see the person that he really is…”

This tale is not new to me. I’ve heard it before, I’ve seen it before, and I’ve felt the same sentiments before.

We often end up in a regretful situation because we took the reputation of a person to be his character.

Character and Reputation. Many mistake them to be one and the same. But these two words have a world of difference.

Reputation is what people think or say about a person which may or may not be true. Crooked politicians know how to spin their reputation. Given the right price and the right motivation, certain media practitioners may craft a story to “create” a reputation for a person or an institution.

Character doesn’t work that way. In a nutshell, character is who we are when no one’s looking. It’s not just the face in the mirror; it’s the “face behind the face”. Character is a lot more valuable.

A person with Godly character is one who can stand in the face of false accusations, insinuations, slander and ridicule. They remain rock-solid in the midst of such things. The hurt may be real, but despair and depression cannot take hold of them and bring them to defeat.

There’s something we can learn from Joseph in the Old Testament about character and reputation. When Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, and thrown from a place of honor in the palace into prison, one might say that his reputation was destroyed. But his character – of being faithful to God and of serving others – remained strong in spite of spending 12 long years in prison!

Character knows no time constraints. Character doesn’t bow to pressure. Character isn’t enticed by the greatest acid test – money!

Back to Joseph – eventually, God restored him and blessed him with a fantastic position, with influence and with great wealth. This is because God doesn’t care about our reputation, but He’s concerned with our character.

It has been said that a man’s character is like a fence – it cannot be strengthened by whitewash. Keep in mind that, no matter the cost, it’s better to be short on cash than to be short on character.

Don’t sell out. Reputations come and go, but character will hold you down through life’s storms.

Develop your character. You’ll never regret it. And don’t worry too much about your reputation. Work hard on developing a good character, and your reputation will take care of itself.