Welcome to Rob Brown Council!

With responsibility comes accountability. Those elected politicians and heads of banks have enormous power, and thus huge responsibility. The more famous you are, the more you are watched and positioned where the buck stops. If you are a professional footballer watched by millions, you become a role model for some, whether you want to or not.

Your personal and corporate reputation is affected by many things, but it all comes down to trust. Trust is the promise that 'all will be well' and that there will be no unpleasant surprises. It's like a brand, isn't it? You buy well because you know you're getting certain things.

The problem in the banking and financial world is that the public (who are essentially having to bail the banks out) have seen decades of big banking bonuses, big banking profits and big banking mentalities. Now that the banks and bankers are paying for their greed, trust is eroded and thus reputations destroyed.

This Labour Government is no better off. Under leader Gordon Brown, they have presided over a long period of boom, and spent up without putting anything aside for a rainy day. People lose trust in things like that.

What can you learn? Three things:

1. Be careful what you promise.
2. Be a good steward of other people's money.
3. Build your reputation well in the good times so it will protect you in the bad times.