I was watching a video the other day of a industry leader make an acceptance speech. The individual was gracious, friendly, funny and sincere. He promised to do things right, always listen, be the kind of person we all would be proud of. Overall, a very uplifting speech, full of promises and met with a standing ovation.

It's a few months later, and in private this person is described as a tyrant, a bully, usually demeaning and rude. People privately talk about how they refuse to work with him, wonder how he rose to the top, and count the days until they can get rid of him.

I once knew another friend who spoke highly of his boss in public, but tore her down in social circles. He was genuinally surprised when the boss fired him a few months later. Another friend took networking to mean date-working. He couldn't figure out why no one called him back about business, particularly the females he met at mixers.

How do you act in public? Do you have one side for some and another for others? Are you sincere and genuine at all times? Or do you have a hidden face that who work hard at hiding from others?

How we present ourselves, privately, publicly, in person and in writing, reveal much of our character. In our dealings with others it's important to remember that we are being watched, scrutinized and analyzed. Beyond a person's personal obeservation, there is always a blog post, rss feed, video or email waiting to reveal us.

And the people who have seen our genuine face are none to happy to reveal it to others.