It takes years to build a solid reputation on a team. But only minutes to destroy it. Reputations are fragile, especially when it comes to tight-knit teams.
Doing an exceptionally wrong thing, in the wrong way, at the wrong time, can make a team member an outcast with everyone around them suspicious of their actions.
Once a reputation is significantly tarnished, it requires a herculean effort to repair it and to regain the trust of the team.
Team members serious about reestablishing their credibility must first own the mistake or set of bad actions and issue an apology to the team and the leader.
Admitting that your reputation is damaged and needs to be repaired is never easy. But without addressing it with an apology, the tarnished team member will likely be overlooked for key assignments, promotions, and recognition.
While the apology can happen privately with each team member, some repairs require a group acknowledgement that the offender realizes the error of their ways and wants to rebuild their credibility with the team. That mostly depends on how egregious the missteps were.
Demonstrating over time that trustworthiness and positive contributions are now the norm becomes the goal.
Consistency in behavior, attitude, and engagement will eventually replace the damaged reputation with a new and better one if the team member can avoid any new mishaps. In essence, they must show their colleagues that a genuine change is occurring through the consistency of their actions.
That actions speak louder than words is paramount in this rebuilding process. Of the many actions that can authenticate the commitment to a better future, the willingness to make a sacrifice tothe benefit of the team can be powerfully symbolic.
Sacrifice symbolizes a new path forward.
Repairing a damaged reputation nearly always benefits from a sacrifice to prove how serious the offender is in making a fresh start. By willingly making a sacrifice to showcase their commitment, team members put themselves in the best position to recover.
Dedicating their free time to support the team’s goals, taking on more responsibility and onerous assignments, volunteering to on-board new colleagues, documenting critical processes, and serving as a skills trainer are a few of the common sacrifices a reputationally challenged team member might make.
Any investment that comes at a personal cost, such as willingly giving up status, titles, personal comforts, conveniences, and monetary rewards, highlights to others how serious the team member is to rescue their reputation.
Sacrifice communicates a real shift in priorities, demonstrating with actions, not words, that the team’s success and trust are of the highest importance. The greater the sacrifice, the more likely the team will forgive and forget over time.
Sometimes, a symbolic action is what is needed most to change a hardened perception.
