People trust someone whose standards remain visible when stakes change.

It is easy to hold a standard when nothing much depends on it. The test comes when the stakes rise, when holding it costs money or an opportunity or an awkward conversation, and people are watching to see whether the standard was a principle or a preference. Consistency at that moment does more for how you are regarded than years of ordinary conduct.

Identify the standard you would find hardest to keep under pressure. Decide now, before the pressure, what you will do. Deciding in advance is what makes it possible to hold in the moment.