I heard a radio preacher the other day tell a story about how somebody rudely whipped around him in a parking lot and took a parking space he was waiting for.

“I wanted to give him a piece of my mind,” he said. “Then I remembered that I’m a preacher.”

When people act like who they say they are, it makes sense. When companies operate like they claim to, it’s expected. When there’s a disconnect, then we have a problem.

• Years ago when I was in the Navy, I was perpetually on the “fat boy” program while stationed at Naval Hospital Long Beach. Ironically, the dietician who was giving us all the advice on how to pick the right foods and eat in the right proportion must have weighed 300+ lbs. I wasn’t impressed.
• In 2006, I was the lead trainer and project manager for a training project contracted to the Air Force. It was my job to staff the project and the Air Force wanted trained mediators and conflict resolution specialists. I have never worked with a more difficult, childish, and petty group of trainers in my life. They bickered over everything from training partner assignments to who would teach what part of the course (these were team taught). And these are the folks who are trained experts at “getting to YES” and “achieving a Win-Win.”
• My old neighbor in Maryland used to be the manager of the Circuit City (before they went out of business). He was an expert in how to set up a home theater and helped suggest the stuff I needed to fix mine up. Ironically, he had an old console type TV (remember those? Several children were crushed to death by these things falling on them back in the late 90s) and no sound equipment. Nothing wrong with that. It just struck me as kind of odd.

On the other hand, when a person’s or organization’s actions actually match their purported reputation, it’s a pleasant surprise.

• My friend Eric Buratty is a fitness guru.  His workout and diet plans are challenging and extreme.  If you look at Eric and see his discipline, you know he’s the real deal.  He’s cut and ripped.  If he tells you how to diet and exercise, you can believe him because he personifies it!
• I had a client that manufactured wall outlets and electrical fixtures. The training room had more outlets than I’d ever seen. It’s exactly what I would expect from a wall outlet manufacturer. Super convenient for me!
• When I lived in MD, everyone told me I needed to take my car to Cochrane Automotive as Eddie Cochrane was good and fair. I finally did. He replaced my brakes in record time and at a low price I thought was a misprint. Needless to say I used him from then on. Too bad he’s not here in TN.
• My plumber Steve Udzinski of US Plumbing in Charlotte, TN did some great work for me. When he told me he also renovated bathrooms and kitchens, I was a little nervous but based on his previous work, I contracted with him and his wife Donna. Not only did they do a world-class job, they only charged me $400.00 for labor!

The bottom line here is that your reputation and your behavior and your performance all have to align for you to be taken seriously. Keep that in mind this week. Are you who you say you are?