Reputation: More than just popularity

In the new Wicked movie, Ariana Grande's "Popular" reminds us: success isn't just about skill-it's about being known. Reputation bridges the gap between what you do and how others perceive you. But it's fragile-one mistake can outweigh years of effort.

Whether you want to shape your reputation, understand how perception works, or simply navigate the role of gossip and first impressions, this is your chance to explore how reputation can make or break success-and how to build one that lasts.

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I don't know how many people have seen "Wicked" yet, the new musical movie brought to life by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. This movie-and its songs-have been dominating the media lately, and today, it's all about reputation. There's a song called "Popular" that includes a line I absolutely love:

Celebrated heads of state
Or especially great communicators
Did they have brains or knowledge?

Don’t make me laugh-they were popular. RIGHT, it’s all about popular.

…

And She is right:

You wont be successful by being the best at your skill, if nobody knows you are. Doesn’t mean that popularity alone will get you to where you want to be. That rarely happens. Knowledge alone won‘t work wonders though.

Basically, you need popularity even more than knowledge, but don't worry if you're not naturally skilled at it...

what you need is a reputation. Not only to reach everybody who already knows you and your profession but also the ones that don’t.

It can be hard to not let people get the wrong idea of you, since you can’t control what others think or talk about behind your back. Still you can give an input and ,without expecting an outcome, remain true to your values and actions, letting your authenticity speak for itself over time.

Giving someone a certain reputation also compares to pigeonholing. It’s not what they are but the vibes you get. That is all you have to work with.

Meaning whether you want to know more about reputation to change & influence your own or just to get a better understanding of it, in either ways it’s good to know that it does come down to something very individual. Depending on your life-story and experiences, your perception of someone is different from someone else’s. Therefore how you see the people around you depends on you.

Perception and reputation go hand in hand. Although reputation is more oriented towards the most popular opinion, this ”more popular opinion“ still came from what single people think.

Here are 5 things you didn’t know about reputation:

Reputation depending on culture

In collectivist cultures (e.g., Japan or China), reputation is deeply tied to group harmony and social standing. Losing "face" or damaging one's reputation can carry significant social consequences. In individualist cultures (e.g., the U.S.), personal achievements and authenticity often shape reputation more than group conformity.

The role of Gossip in Reputation

Gossip plays a crucial role in spreading reputational information. Anthropologists (professionals who study aspects of humans within past and present societies. / human behaviour) argue that gossip evolved as a way for humans to monitor social bonds and punish bad actors in groups. This makes reputation a form of informal social control.

The halo effect

The halo effect describes how a positive first impression or single positive trait (e.g., attractiveness, charisma) can influence how someone's overall character is perceived. This means someone with a good reputation in one area might be unfairly assumed to excel in others.

Careful - fragile

Reputation takes years to build but seconds to destroy—a truth reflected in countless proverbs and studies. Psychologists call this the "negativity bias," where negative information about someone weighs more heavily in our minds than positive.

People are more likely to remember a single mistake than a long history of good deeds.

-> Unless something special is going on, people usually don’t spend their entire day gossiping, especially not about one person. With the upper quote in mind, it’s important to remember that once you have a reputation it’s hard to replace.

How to build a good reputation

Authenticity:

As we know now, reputation is very fragile and mainly depends on first impressions. By simply being yourself , instead of projecting a Fassade, your chances of getting a reputation (that regardless of good or bad) at least will be true to you.

Being yourself might not always be easy, especially for over thinkers, but in this case it’s essential.

Start by staying true to your character, being intentional about the impression you leave, and understanding that perception, while not fully in your control-can be guided by thoughtful, consistent efforts.

Relationships & Communication

Your reputation isn't built in isolation-it's shaped by the perceptions and experiences of those around you. Strong relationships can help reinforce and amplify your positive traits.

Through communicating clearly what is bothering you and what kind of person you are, through what achievements make you happy, what can make your day, etc. you clearly express personality and therefore what your reputation built on authenticity could look like.

Summary:

Reputation is fragile, deeply personal, and shaped by a mix of perception, culture, and communication. It's not something you can fully control, but by being consistent, authentic, and intentional, you can build one that aligns with your true character.