The Value of Reputation: Article Featuring Holly Mandel
HOLLY MANDEL, founder and owner of iMERGENCE CORPORATE IMPROV: Reputation is interesting. I know for myself, as a woman, owning the things I’ve accomplished didn’t come naturally. I don’t doubt that men have similar challenges, but I know from experience that we women have a unique relationship with owning our accomplishments—imposter syndrome, being seen as bragging, confidence. It’s a hot mess in there. (I actually created a talk and workshop based on all of this because it’s so prevalent—Good Girls Aren’t CEOs!)
Building your reputation, I think, happens in a lot of ways. Obviously, if you’re genuine, sincere, and authentic, you almost can’t help but build your reputation. So it’s the opposite that I would emphasize—stay away from tactics and strategies that take advantage, feel slimy or tricky, or over-promise just to get a sale. I don’t believe that leads you anywhere good. Money is a tempting element, and when there’s big money on the table, it’s important to have your moral compass and values crystal clear. Make decisions based on who you want to be and how you want your company to be viewed.
I also think there are times when the right thing is to walk away or turn down a gig. There’s a time to have a tough conversation—with someone working for you or even a potential client. If I feel like the person I’m talking to just wants the cheapest option of the bunch, I know they’re not my ideal client. I’ve had enough experience to know that the ‘ick’ feeling always leads to an awful experience that’s never worth the money in the end.
But as I was saying—owning everything that you are, and everything you’ve learned and experienced, is part of your value. If you’re not really owning it—and sometimes leading with it—no one else will see you as that. It doesn’t mean being obnoxious or rattling off your resume every chance you get. It means seeing yourself fully, with everything in the picture.
It took me a very long time to hold the value of becoming a Groundling, for instance. I used to never tell people I was the first female founder of a school or company because of some false humility B.S. But once I started to, I know I started showing up differently. I started thinking differently. Pretty soon, the dollar amounts we were charging for a gig seemed ridiculously low.
I once heard something really helpful:
People who create things and have a big impact on the world need to have big egos.
They need to see themselves as someone who can do a lot.
But—they also need an equal amount of humility to balance it out.
Too much ego and you’re a jerk who can’t learn and isn’t connectable.
Too much humility and you won’t have the juice to make the impact you want.
When I heard that, I realized I didn’t need to be scared to own what I’ve done—or what I want to do. That’s part of who I am. (I’m a Leo, for god’s sake!)
I just want to always stay curious about what I don’t know and keep leaving space to grow.