1. You are willing to share the spotlight.
No person is an island; accordingly, your success (in some way) was affected by the various people around you. You increased sales by 25%? Great job. Now, who else on your team contributed to that accomplishment? Let everyone know how he or she helped. Not only will your team appreciate it, but others will be more likely to want to work with you in the future.
2. You let ideas run wild.
Make sure that you create an atmosphere that encourages creative thinking. Not all ideas are spectacular; everyone can agree with that. However, it will be more difficult to come up with good ideas if people do not feel that they can be completely open with their thoughts. If someone presents a concept that isn't necessarily traditional, it shouldn't be met with the phrase "Man, that's the worst thing I've ever heard!"
3. You maintain employees'/colleagues' trust.
If you are in a position of authority within a company, you will be privy to information to which others are not. Whether it's that an employee isn't doing as well at work because she is having marital problems and can't focus or that a superior told you that layoffs are imminent, you must maintain trust by refusing to disclose this information. If you do tell, in addition to people thinking of you negatively for breaking their trust, you also will be forever excluded from "the loop." Besides, such secrets are part of the territory and in some cases are even necessary. (Can you imagine the panic that would ensue if you told everyone, "You all had better start looking for jobs because next week will be the last one you have at this company"?)
4. You promote diversity.
Qualified—and, more importantly, exceptional—candidates are found in every category you can imagine. Don't let complacency or tradition make you think that you should hire members of a certain group of individuals or that you shouldn't hire members of another group at all. You want to surround yourself with great people, however they may come.
5. You accept conflict.
Inevitably there will be people who clash in a workplace environment. With so many different personalities, work styles, and backgrounds, it is probable that conflict will occur at least occasionally. However, if you happen to be in the middle or are faced with it, you need to show your maturity and professionalism. You don't want to snap at people, and you certainly don't want to speak negatively about people behind their backs.
6. You try to maintain a positive outlook during times of uncertainty.
Harking back to the old saying, you can either view the glass as half empty or half full. If you stay positive and don't jump to conclusions, employees and colleagues alike will feel safe around you. This is not to say you should overlook or dismiss obvious signs that something is amiss. It just means you should give your employees and colleagues the benefit of the doubt until or unless they show you otherwise.
7. You stand your ground.
If someone wants you to sell something that is questionable or to sell in a way that you think is unethical, don't be talked into it. After everything has been said and done, you should always stand up for what you believe in. People would like to know that you have a moral compass—one that you are willing to follow.
8. You don't make bad situations worse.
Negative things are bound to happen; that's just part of life. Yet it is important to remember that you shouldn't make the matter worse by blowing it out of proportion. Remember the old IBM fable: an employee once made a horrible decision which ended up costing the company several million dollars. Sure that he would be fired, the employee went to confront the boss. To his amazement, he wasn't let go. According to "legend," the boss told him something to the effect of "Why would we let you go? We just gave you a multimillion-dollar education." Of course there was the possibility, and likelihood, that the boss would react negatively. However, he understood that this was a mistake on the part of the employee, that the employee acknowledged his mistake, and that the employee learned from it. Because of this remarkable reaction, the boss and the story have become part of business lore.
Your reputation ultimately has the ability to ensure your success, or failure, within the industry. So you should make decisions with this question in mind: "If clients, family, or friends knew about this, how would they view me?" The answer to that question should always be "positively."
