Your personal habits might be ruining your company’s image

“Your reputation is in the hands of others. That's what the reputation is. You can't control that. The only thing you can control is your character.” – Wayne W. Dyer.

The key to of maintaining a sound reputation lies in your character. As an entrepreneur, your reputation is critical to the success of your business. But some of your habits may have the potential to destroy your credibility and market standing. They can even make your best clients lose interest in doing business with you. And of course, no entrepreneur in their right mind would want that! Following strict business etiquette means shedding off these three personal habits if needed:

Being regularly late

Yes, you have a business to run and a huge workload to complete, whatever your reasons may be, if you are someone who’s built a reputation for making clients and associates wait before meetings, be prepared to lose some good opportunities. Of course, no one can be a punctual all the time, but if you have made non-punctuality a norm, it can cost your business opportunities and money in the long run. So before you face the consequences of this seemingly minor transgression, buckle up and start showing up on time!

Being temperamental and emotional

Do you have a hard time controlling your emotions while dealing with your team members, agencies or other collaborators? Do you always find yourself yelling at your team for not meeting deadlines or shouting at your PR agency for not showing desired results? You are definitely a bad leader. Even if you have a good reason for being angry, you do not have any authority to drill your employees just because something didn’t work in your favour.

Continuous yelling will only lead to frustration among your employees and affect their productivity. And what’s worse? Their social circles are sure to know about you and frustrating-causing working styles. If this continues, no potential employee would be willing to work for your company. Either you learn to control your temper or simply hire someone who can effectively handle people even under immense work pressure.

Lacking social media etiquette

Social media is a brilliant tool to connect with big players in the market. But if you don't play your game right, it can severely damage your reputation. The social media world is an extension of the business world, and you need to be conscious of how you use it. For example, you cannot post obnoxious comments to assert your opinions, views or judgements online. Maybe it was alright when you were not an entrepreneur, but now that you are – you not only represent yourself, but also your business.

You need to be mindful of the words you use when drafting a post on your favourite social networks. Disrespecting others, not replying to comments and uploading or being tagged on questionable photos will negatively affect your public image. Anyone can take a screenshot of your post displaying callous behaviour, and this can even haunt you for the rest of your life.

As an entrepreneur, your personal reputation becomes your company’s reputation. This has a direct impact on its existence in the market. As human beings, we’re allowed to make mistakes from time to time. But understanding these mistakes and trying to correct them will do you wonders in the long run. Cultivate the best possible habits to make people want to do business with you and your employees enthusiastic about working with you.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory)