When maintaining, or creating, a reputation for a brand (product, company, non-profit, celebrity, etc.) it is important to remember that actions speak louder than words.

It seems that the recent actions of Lindsey Lohan and Adam "Pacman" Jones provide the best examples of this principle. These two, and their PR teams, don’t understand that reputation is a combination of both what you say and do, with an emphasis on the latter.

The Big Deal: It is important to establish relstionships, behave correctly in society and build trust. Then, that reputation can be leveraged into new opportunites and cited when a mistake is made. Companies, jobseekers, marketers and public relations specialists should recognize this and incorporate it into their long term strategy.