Good buzz/bad buzz

I wonder if people realize how they hold "buzz" in their hands. Buzz is like your reputation but writ a bit larger...it's what makes people admired and sought after or diminished and ignored.

There are lots of ways to create good buzz...you can return phone calls and emails within 24 hours; you can exhibit good manners at all times (even when no one is looking); you can open your rolodex or PDA and share a name; you can call just to say I'm thinking about you to cement a relationship. Bad buzz is even simpler: Act like a self-centered, self-important prat at all times; treat anyone who isn't a player (in your book) with disdain; leave people out of meetings just for sadistic fun; answer your cellphone or read your blackberry when in a meeting...I could go on and on. The point I'm making is this: We're all sending messages everyday that can either accelerate our success or derail it.

Rather than rail against fate, take a look at your behavior. It may just be your buzz.