Most companies are still playing the wrong game.

Years ago a company I worked for was providing wireless internet service to a large box store chain. Our equipment was nearing end of life, and we knew it. When problems started surfacing, leadership made a choice that would cost us everything.

Instead of acknowledging our failing equipment, they tried to convince the client's IT head that the issues stemmed from the local phone company's fiber lines.

This is outdated reputation management in action. Spin the story. Shift the blame. Make the problem someone else's fault. It's the same playbook whether you're dealing with a wrong restaurant order or a multimillion-dollar contract.

Here's what most executives miss about human nature.

Every human has made a mistake. Most will forgive a mistake. What they won't forgive is someone making a mistake and then making them feel so unimportant that fixing it becomes "a hassle."

Traditional reputation management treats customers as problems to manage. Reputation cultivation treats them as people to serve.

You can see the difference in company behaviors. Organizations stuck in management mode offer money or gift cards for online reviews. They only send review links to customers they know are happy. They're still playing the spin game.

Companies focused on cultivation do something different. They reach out to customers with questions or issues. They acknowledge every review, good or bad. They make adjustments when needed.

Reputation cultivation starts internally before it works externally.

How companies treat their employees directly predicts how they'll treat customers. If leadership isn't investing in team growth and happiness, they likely don't have strong feelings about customer happiness either.

The data supports this connection. Studies show a 10% increase in employee satisfaction correlates with a 5% increase in customer satisfaction ratings.

Building this culture requires specific actions from leadership.

Team members need to know management has their back and they're expected to fix mistakes, not hide them. This means being a leader, not a boss. Trusting your team without micromanaging. Reinforcing the idea that mistakes happen and we're going to fix them.

Recognition matters more than most leaders realize.

When your team completes a project that makes the company serious money, don't throw a pizza party. Give them at least a small bonus, then add the celebration. The disconnect between value created and recognition given is almost insulting.

It doesn't have to be for every success. Do it for the major ones. This shows you value people who get things done, and when you're setting that example, it's better received when you talk about valuing customers.

Credibility starts with consistency.

The Transparency Imperative

The digital era has made reputation management obsolete by design.

Social media and radical transparency have eliminated the ability to control narratives. Research reveals that 86% of consumers believe transparency is more important than ever for building trust with brands.

Nothing protects your brand from criticism anymore. The old playbook of message control and damage limitation simply doesn't work when information spreads instantly and everyone has a platform.

This isn't a problem to solve. It's a reality to embrace.

Companies that try to manage their way out of reputation challenges are fighting the wrong battle. They're using 20th-century tactics in a 21st-century environment.

Cultivation acknowledges this new reality and works with it instead of against it.

Making the Shift

The transition from management to cultivation starts with honest assessment.

Take stock of the values you claim your company has. Make sure you and the management team are setting an example for living those values. If there's a gap between what you say and what you do, your team will notice. So will your customers.

Ensure someone is reaching out to customers who have questions or issues. When someone gives you an online review, good or bad, acknowledge it. If adjustments are needed, make them.

It should never become a running joke that "your ice cream machines are always broken." Handle your business.

The economics support this approach.

Fixing an issue for a disappointed client frequently creates loyal customers for years to come. The alternative costs far more than most leaders realize.

Reputation cultivation isn't just more ethical than reputation management. It's more profitable, more sustainable, and more aligned with how humans actually build trust.

The companies that understand this will pull ahead of those still trying to spin their way to success.

The choice is simple: keep managing perception while your reputation crumbles, or start cultivating trust while your competitors figure out why their old playbook stopped working.

The era of old school reputation management is over. The age of reputation cultivation has begun.