Akio Toyoda, the president and CEO of Toyota tears up and pauses for composure before the panel of congressman. He thanks them for their support and says, "we have to rethink everything about our operations to regain customer confidence," he says. "We have to reassert the values that have been our hallmark." Toyoda goes on to say, "priorities became confused in a rush to grow business. We pursued growth over speed."

Recently 4 people were killed on one of the streets I often ride my bike when their 2008 Toyota Avalon failed to stop at a T-intersection, crossed the road at a high rate of speed (47mph), went down an embankment, through a metal fence, struck a tree, became airborne and eventually overturned in a small pond. Allegations are pending, but the wreck is being blamed on a defect with Toyota.

When your priorities become confused there will be calamitous consequences to your reputation. If Toyota had only one catastrophic incident, people would likely understand and be forgiving. Doesn't mean people wouldn't notice, but they wouldn't let one compromise in priorities permanently taint their view of Toyota's reputation. However it was a constant compromise in priorities that got Toyota in trouble. It's the pattern of comprises in priorities that brings about the reputation others have.

Is it any different with you and me? Is it different for the reputations of school boards when they confuse their priorities in taking care of their teachers? Or how about an insurance company like Blue Cross Blue Shield who mailed 3 times, told this customer twice and even his agent once to fill out the wrong form for a change in policy and it still wasn't the right form (personal experience)? One has to wonder what their number one priority is and if they care about their reputation. Or how about a vacuum company, Hoover, who cannot repair a vacuum under warranty in less than 2 months because it's back logged on parts? What if Fed-Ex became confused about priorities and thought their first priority was to make money instead of making sure your package 'absolutely, positively' was delivered when it had to be? Reputations are built on priorities.

So what business are you in? What is priority #1? Can you bank your reputation on your priority? What about you personally as a parent, husband, wife, manager, supervisor, phyisican, CEO, pastor, receptionist, HR representative? Would you be willing to bank your reputation on your priority #1?

Whether we like it or not as a company, school, church, car maker, teacher, manager, parent and even as individuals we are a living object lesson to others on what our priorities are. And the result? It's called reputation.  

So what's your #1 priority?