What organization would want a poor or, even worse, a shabby reputation? So why do so few managements pay serious attention to what should be a powerful and positive asset? The reason is that a good reputation does not happen by accident: it requires bold, visionary managers with commitment and integrity. And, despite legislation, guidelines and best practice standards, too many managements are not driven by the vision of what could be, but by expediency. This is not entirely the fault of management. Many of the influential observers of organizations (whether commercial or not) do not understand the imperative that behaving properly is the only way to behave profitably. Just look at some of those observers: say, for example, the regulators, the media, the financial sector. The government is run and policy is set by people who, almost entirely, have never been in business and often have never had to make management decisions. Civil servants with similarly limited management experience often advise them: the last business people in government that some might be able to name would be the ennobled David Young and Michael Heseltine. Most ministers, in most administrations, would struggle to win a position on a ?third division? company board.