7 Reputation Building Standards to Make You Stand Out

Author Dana White was convinced she knew how to do the dishes. There was only one problem: Dishes piled up from one end of the kitchen to the other.

After much frustration, she took a step back to figure out the source of her problem. In her book, How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind: Dealing with Your House’s Dirty Little Secrets, she fondly remembered summer camp, where she pulled kitchen duty. The way to do dishes at camp was to wash them but then leave them out to dry overnight.

Dana had an a-ha moment: What if the way she had learned wasn’t The Way, just a way? And what if she switched up her routine so she dried and put away dishes before she went to bed?

That small change gave her the phenomenal gift of a blank slate every morning. Now walking into her kitchen was a pleasure—not a jumble of odds and ends from last night’s dinner. Suddenly, Dana had a new standard.

Tidy Up Your Work Life

Dana’s story is completely relatable for the less enthusiastic housekeepers among us (raising my hand, here). But let’s take this idea one step further and repurpose it for work.

What could happen if you set the standard to tidy up all those little tasks cluttering your inbox and draining your energy? How would starting with a clean line of sight inform the rest of your day? For instance, imagine having the mental sharpness to bring clarity when people talk past each other or quickly consolidate random facts into a workable strategy. The ability to use high standards to deliver exemplary work—especially the first time around—will immediately make you stand out from the crowd.

Now let’s keep riffing and define “evergreen” standards—the kind you will use daily. Here are seven reputation builders that are always in demand, no matter what job you do or industry you join:

Pick one or mix and match the ideas above for 90 days. And then envision where combining these standards might take you in a year

Set the Standard Series Recap

In the June series, Set the Standard, we’ve met inspiring people who set a new standard for themselves after overcoming difficult circumstances. Acting in a principled way sounds logical, but it can be tough to do, especially when it seems like your environment is working against you.

But defining personal standards doesn’t have to be intimidating or overwhelming. Set attainable benchmarks using three concepts:

1. Create a Strong Foundation with People Skills. Conventional thinking is to create a life around external achievements. But rewards alone are like flimsy scaffolding. Instead, build your professional foundation on people skills such as emotional intelligence, relational leadership, and personal integrity.
2. Set the Intention to Stretch. Challenging yourself to go above and beyond can seem impossible in the rush and crush of everyday life. But the good news is that you already use work skills like being creative, compassionate, and flexible. So, start where you are and then intentionally put those qualities front and center every day.
3. Reset Your Standards to Be Scalable and Sustainable. Some standards will travel with you, while others will change according to your life stage. Start with a quick inventory and reset where necessary. Your keywords to determine if a quality still fits like a glove are “scalable” and “sustainable.”

There will be days when it will be tempting to lower the bar, but cutting corners won’t take you where you want to go. Being principled and ethical are traits valued by colleagues and managers. So, commit to ongoing personal development, whether you’ve just graduated or are ready for a career reboot. Act as the creative, wise CEO of your life—a Soul Boss—and make your standards clear and easy to articulate.

Have you enjoyed this series? Keep the goodness going by discovering a new approach to skilling up. Check out my new book, Soft Skills Basics in a Flash.