Does your audio match your video? I love that question. If you don’t understand it or have not heard it before, it is asking if your actions match your words. We all know that person who says things that are not even close to how they act. I wonder if these people realize how that looks to the rest of the world.
I don’t think there is any other time in history when the importance of our reputation carries more weight than any other part of our behavior than today. Think about it – who do you gravitate towards? Who do you do business with? Who do you respect or admire?
I consider myself to be a fairly reputable person and I like to think that my video matches my audio but I freely admit that sometimes I would like to hit rewind or delete and start over. Unfortunately, life usually doesn’t work that way and once you do something, it pretty much is a done deal.
So how important is it that what we say matches what we do? Ask Jim Tressel, Sean Payton or possibly the biggest example we have recently seen, Joe Paterno. I know that Paterno has passed, but I can’t think of a better example of what happens to your reputation when your video melts down.
Here are 4 things to consider before you hit record on the video camera:
1. AUTHENTICITY
One of the things I appreciate about people is their authenticity. We need to be real people. We all know that person that doesn’t understand this concept at all. The guy who is all talk and no walk. Regardless of how he views himself, my guess is that his success is going to be quite limited due to his actions.
2. CREDIBILITY
Who do you go to when you need to depend on someone? Usually it is the person that had a track record of credibility. Let’s face it – when we ask someone else to help us out with something, business or personal, they become an extension of us. Their actions represent ours and if you value your reputation, choose wisely.
3. INFLUENCE
This one is my favorite. Leadership is influence, right? So if we want to be a leader or need a leader, we want someone that will positively influence others. Our influence is often powered by our actions. People do what people see. If we want a positive outcome, we better have a good video that matches the script.
4. INTEGRITY
Integrity is as important to your picture as any other thing. Do people think you act the same way when no one is looking as you do when on the main stage? Integrity breeds trust and vice-versa. Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. Certainly it is easier to come up with the words that portray trust, but our actions are much more powerful, in either direction.
At the end of the day, we want to be known as a person that can be trusted to have our actions align with our words. William Shakespeare said “All the world’s a stage” and he is right. How we act is what will determine our personal brand.
The cameras are always rolling, so you better be prepared to stick with the script you have written and if you need to add-lib during your performance, make sure it’s not something you would rather have on the editing room floor.
**********************************************************************
Don’t miss a single post from Building What Matters by subscribing at the top left of this page.
Help support us by clicking here and Liking our facebook page
Barry Smith www.buildingwhatmatters.com 11/2/12 Photo by author
