Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1298IR // #c1298Synthesis

"“Your reputation is like a teacup. Once it’s broken, it’s almost impossible to put back together.”" "All your actions accumulate in the long run. Be nice to the person who sweeps the floors in your office."

— In our words · Source: Trade Outside the Box (Brent Donnelly)

[Use when]

Cutting a corner or snubbing someone junior looks free in the short run.

[Why it matters]

Donnelly opens with Ben Hunt's line and notes how old connections keep resurfacing. He says people remember how you treated them decades later. His rules: treat PAs and brokers the way you treat managing directors, and volunteer for the holiday shift. Small acts compound into a reputation.

Filed under situations:When the team is looking to you to leadWhen the other side has more leverage

More from Trade Outside the Box

#c1278"Keynes asks us to imagine a newspaper which holds a contest where readers are rewarded for choosing which contestant will be chosen by the…You're right on the merits and need to predict how a crowd, market or committee will actually decide. #c1279"Younger children, or those without a fully developed Theory of Mind, will say that James will say: “pencils,” because they are unable to…You're sure the other side must see what you see. #c1280"There is a market aphorism that says: Early is the same thing as wrong." "You underperform as you wait for your dream trade to come true…You're about to bet against a trend just because it has gone a long way.

Same situation, different book

#c1350Rising nobodies beat established starsYou're deciding between a proven big name and a hungry up-and-comer.From Cancel Me If You Can #c1324It's always easier to vote noYou support a compromise that has obvious flaws and opposing it would be easier.From Courage Can Save Us #c1316Every system thinks it's the smartest in the roomYou're mediating between teams, partners or systems that each insist on their own way of working.From Digital Impact #c1269Constituents need to know whyYou're closing a deal at the top that the wider team will have to carry out.From The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy