Reputation is not enough

One of the main "ah-ha's!" that hit me when I heard Stephen Covey speak about The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything is that people don't trust you deeply based on reputation alone.

I think I have a good reputation for being a nice guy and for being very good at what I do.  But if I want to LEAD people--if I want them to work long hours for our project, to this work above competing priorities, to advocate for our project at their site even if their boss is just lukewarm about it--then reputation will not be enough.  Only my BEHAVIOR will generate this loyalty.  To take these risks and fight these battles, they need trust that I will listen to them and that I care about their needs in their work environment and beyond.  They'll only gain this trust if they see me behave this way with them or with other members of the team.