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The Reputation Game: The Art of Changing How People See You
It’s a game you’re already playing, whether you like it or not. You can choose to ignore it and remain at the mercy of what others say about you, or you can take the time to learn how it works. For those who do the potential benefits are unlimited.
Through pioneering research and interviews with a host of major figures ranging from Jay-Z and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman to Bernie Madoff and Man Booker prize-winning Hilary Mantel, Waller and Younger reveal the key mechanisms that make and remake our reputations, providing the essential guide to the most important game in business and in life.
Through pioneering research and interviews with a host of major figures ranging from Jay-Z and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman to Bernie Madoff and Man Booker prize-winning Hilary Mantel, Waller and Younger reveal the key mechanisms that make and remake our reputations, providing the essential guide to the most important game in business and in life.
304 pages, Paperback
Published November 13, 2018
25 people are currently reading
337 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 2, 2017
I think I was expecting more on the art of changing the way people see you. It was 98% quite engaging stories about famous examples of reputations won and lost and the last handful of pages concluding that you can't manage your reputation, you can only behave well and build your skills.
If you want to be entertained by stories about people from Donald Trump to Caligula, it will be a great read. If you are looking for ways to change the ways people see you, you might be disappointed.
If you want to be entertained by stories about people from Donald Trump to Caligula, it will be a great read. If you are looking for ways to change the ways people see you, you might be disappointed.
November 26, 2021
An article's worth of insight padded out to book length.
March 15, 2018
The subtitle to this book, 'The art of changing how people see you', makes it sound like something approaching a self-help book, written to give advice on how to manage your reputation. It's not. What it is, is an informative book, which aims to help you better understand what reputation is, how it is created, why it is important, and to what extent it can be managed.
The book largely consists of interesting anecdotes and quotations, which illustrate various features of reputation, and which are almost narrated by the authors. The writing style is very accessible and easy to read, and the content is interesting, especially given its obvious importance to everday life. However, it took me a while to get through this one, albeit in part because of other commitments, because, despite being interesting, I found that it fell slightly short of engaging. This might be a result of the structure of the book, which I found to be a little sporadic, so that I wasn't eager to find out where the book was going simply because its structure was such that it wasn't really going anywhere.
The Reputation Game was a very interesting read (with a perfectly accessible writing style), but I found it to be lacking the narrative structure of my favourite non-fiction reads, and, as such, it wasn't as engaging a read as it could have been. Having said that, I would still recommend it if you're interested in finding out more about how reputation works - and why wouldn't you be?
The book largely consists of interesting anecdotes and quotations, which illustrate various features of reputation, and which are almost narrated by the authors. The writing style is very accessible and easy to read, and the content is interesting, especially given its obvious importance to everday life. However, it took me a while to get through this one, albeit in part because of other commitments, because, despite being interesting, I found that it fell slightly short of engaging. This might be a result of the structure of the book, which I found to be a little sporadic, so that I wasn't eager to find out where the book was going simply because its structure was such that it wasn't really going anywhere.
The Reputation Game was a very interesting read (with a perfectly accessible writing style), but I found it to be lacking the narrative structure of my favourite non-fiction reads, and, as such, it wasn't as engaging a read as it could have been. Having said that, I would still recommend it if you're interested in finding out more about how reputation works - and why wouldn't you be?
August 5, 2024
It is said that a lie is around the world before the truth has got its shoes on, and in these days of the Internet, Fake News and Social Media that is more true than ever.
This very well-researched and detailed book, co-written by David Waller and Rupert Younger shows how hard a good reputation is to build, and how easily it can be destroyed, both for business and for individuals.
With interviews for leading figures in entertainment and business, ranging from Jay Z to Bernie Madoff and the Man Booker Prize-winning Author Hilary Mantel, the book looks at the factors that change a reputation, from behaviour and attitude to one Twitter that can bring unwanted attention. It looks at the ways of managing a reputation and how a reputation can be repaired.
With more and more business in the world, there is more than enough competition for people to shop around, so reputation is more and more important than ever. It looks at the history of business with long life, or at how companies can manage the fallout from a mistake.
The authors have worked for The Financial Times, and Rupert Younger is the founding director of the University of Oxford’s Centre for Corporate Reputation, so they are uniquely placed for writing a book like this, with access to both academics and business in the art of reputation building, maintenance and manipulation.
People with influence are seen throughout the book, from figures such as Donald Trump, Caligula and Bernie Madoff, whose reputations are seen as being slightly less than stellar. However, the sub-title of the book – The Art of Changing How People See You makes it sound more like a self-help book. It isn’t that, only offering some essential advice along the lines of being good means that people see you in a far better light.
As well as looking at things from a business standpoint, the book also looks at a person’s reputation, and how it differs through time. The book is timely, well put together, and looks at the sociological, and psychological importance of having a good reputation, to both business and individuals, and how it is essential always to nurture how other people see you.
This very well-researched and detailed book, co-written by David Waller and Rupert Younger shows how hard a good reputation is to build, and how easily it can be destroyed, both for business and for individuals.
With interviews for leading figures in entertainment and business, ranging from Jay Z to Bernie Madoff and the Man Booker Prize-winning Author Hilary Mantel, the book looks at the factors that change a reputation, from behaviour and attitude to one Twitter that can bring unwanted attention. It looks at the ways of managing a reputation and how a reputation can be repaired.
With more and more business in the world, there is more than enough competition for people to shop around, so reputation is more and more important than ever. It looks at the history of business with long life, or at how companies can manage the fallout from a mistake.
The authors have worked for The Financial Times, and Rupert Younger is the founding director of the University of Oxford’s Centre for Corporate Reputation, so they are uniquely placed for writing a book like this, with access to both academics and business in the art of reputation building, maintenance and manipulation.
People with influence are seen throughout the book, from figures such as Donald Trump, Caligula and Bernie Madoff, whose reputations are seen as being slightly less than stellar. However, the sub-title of the book – The Art of Changing How People See You makes it sound more like a self-help book. It isn’t that, only offering some essential advice along the lines of being good means that people see you in a far better light.
As well as looking at things from a business standpoint, the book also looks at a person’s reputation, and how it differs through time. The book is timely, well put together, and looks at the sociological, and psychological importance of having a good reputation, to both business and individuals, and how it is essential always to nurture how other people see you.
September 25, 2019
I really enjoyed this book for its anecdotes and the interesting break down on reputation and the parts that make it. There was a lot of research and thought put into the book and it was well-structured for an easy read. It was definitely interesting.
However, I do echo others that the reason I am giving it three stars rather than four is that it did not have much in terms of tips on how an ordinary person might change their reputation. Presumably this book is written more for ordinary people, not for the few people who might be the next Pope or Tiger Woods.
While one might take some lessons from the fall of Tony Blair or how Roger Federer conducts himself, the book really needed to bridge that gap and discuss some more practical ideas about how people might really change how other people see them - when selling a book with that tagline.
However, I do echo others that the reason I am giving it three stars rather than four is that it did not have much in terms of tips on how an ordinary person might change their reputation. Presumably this book is written more for ordinary people, not for the few people who might be the next Pope or Tiger Woods.
While one might take some lessons from the fall of Tony Blair or how Roger Federer conducts himself, the book really needed to bridge that gap and discuss some more practical ideas about how people might really change how other people see them - when selling a book with that tagline.
March 31, 2018
Waller and Younger provide a denefitive and evidenced path guiding us through how ones reputation can affect them. This well written account presents information as too how easy it is to damage one's reputation and just how excruciatingly hard it is too recover or rebuild a reputation. Additionally, they discuss and provide evidence on just how hard it is to shape or build ones reputation on there own, it just does not work. I enjoyed the book overall and recommend leaders everywhere read it and keeping its contents in mind.
February 22, 2021
This book needs to come with a strong disclaimer attached, and I ultimately struggled with this one.
Waller explores the concept of Reputation as one of the our invaluable traits. Reputation also enables us to establish expectations, per se, that holds our value as human beings in a capitalist society. I think, at least.
If you're looking to understand how other people have built their reputation and their claim to fame, this book will not be short of anecdotal evidence to do so. Not sure that the subtitle really lives up its own expectations.
Waller explores the concept of Reputation as one of the our invaluable traits. Reputation also enables us to establish expectations, per se, that holds our value as human beings in a capitalist society. I think, at least.
If you're looking to understand how other people have built their reputation and their claim to fame, this book will not be short of anecdotal evidence to do so. Not sure that the subtitle really lives up its own expectations.
August 3, 2025
This was an interesting read, but not a gripping or essential one. It doesn’t offer much practical advice on how to understand your reputation or how to change it, but is rather an interesting anthology of different reputations throughout history. Some sections were stronger than others, and I did skip the conclusion entirely because I felt like I got the point. The book can be summarised as: reputation can relate to your skills or your personality, and one of them can help recuperate the other if you slip up. Fine, but wouldn’t read again.
May 16, 2018
It was okay. The fact that they were a bit anecdotal got annoying. I kept wondering, reputation to who? That wasn't answered. When they got the whole Challenger and NASA culture wrong when there is literature out there that gives more details I almost didn't finish the book. I wondered how many other stories they were just requiting from what they heard on the news and never looked deeper into. I wouldn't read it again
March 4, 2019
An exceptionally thoughtful and highly readable assessment of reputation in all its forms.
Minutely researched, and with an array of interesting and colorful examples to illustrate each point, this is easily accessible and stimulating business reading at its best.
An entertaining approach, to a subject about which everyone has an opinion, which still manages to throw a few surprises.
A superb book, and one I have recommended as essential reading to my team at work (among others).
Minutely researched, and with an array of interesting and colorful examples to illustrate each point, this is easily accessible and stimulating business reading at its best.
An entertaining approach, to a subject about which everyone has an opinion, which still manages to throw a few surprises.
A superb book, and one I have recommended as essential reading to my team at work (among others).
July 29, 2019
If I had a shelf for utter waste of time awful books, that is where I would store this one. But that’s called the BIN.
Don’t bother reading it. You won’t learn anything. Just a few stories of how some companies played some aspects of some situations. But not even grouped in a sensible way to make a point. Just there.
Worse book I have read in several years. Just don’t bother.
Or if you MUST, stop after part 1. There is nothing of interest or value in part 2. Save yourself.
Don’t bother reading it. You won’t learn anything. Just a few stories of how some companies played some aspects of some situations. But not even grouped in a sensible way to make a point. Just there.
Worse book I have read in several years. Just don’t bother.
Or if you MUST, stop after part 1. There is nothing of interest or value in part 2. Save yourself.
August 1, 2021
i picked this book up thinking that i could learn tactics that would help me become more “blair waldorf-ruthless”, but was disappointed, as it was more of a case study on how reputations are created and shaped. the book was well-written and insightful, but unfortunately misleads readers in terms of what it has to offer.
actual rating - 3.5/5 stars
actual rating - 3.5/5 stars
November 3, 2024
An interesting publication that on the surface looks to be a "self-help" book, an outline as to how to build and maintain personal reputations. While not written in the traditional format of books of this nature (using worksheets, reflections, and personal experiences), the authors use of a more narrative tone showcases the rises and falls of prominent persons and businesses.
December 26, 2019
I really liked this. Elements of business, history, psychology, sociology throughout which flows. A good introduction to the subject matter. Not at all dry, honest and unbiased in my humble opinion.
December 24, 2024
A great reminder on the importance of your reputation in business and from a personal perspective. How you conduct yourself and build trusted relationships will determine your future success and value as an individual and employee.
March 29, 2018
Some interesting stories and anecdotes, but at the end of the day it seems like mostly common sense and "don't be a jerk" advice.
March 29, 2018
Good insights, however, it was definitely a 50,000 ft. view, with little in the way of specific, actionable, takeaways.
March 30, 2018
A lot examples with little to no guidance on the “what you should do, or do differently” front.
April 22, 2018
This book was okay but it wasn't what I was expecting. It gave no real advice or information, just a lot of examples.
October 3, 2018
reputation. personal branding of one’s character. take years to build and minutes to destroy. an interesting read.
April 25, 2019
Great read that changes the way you look at the value and leveraging of one's reputation and those of companies
January 27, 2020
Interesting but overlong sadly.
May 3, 2020
A great study into reputation management and the art of getting five stars. I give this book four stars.
August 4, 2020
A collection of stories. The conclusion is sufficient for a broad understanding of this book.
September 18, 2021
quite a fun read because I get to gain knowledge about famous and respected people
September 20, 2023
LeaderBox Selection
March 12, 2025
Awesome book
Very interesting book, with weakth of knowledge and tips on how to play the reputation game. Easy to read snd digest.
Very interesting book, with weakth of knowledge and tips on how to play the reputation game. Easy to read snd digest.
June 17, 2019
An in-depth look at how reputations are made and lost, especially in the age of the internet.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews