Your reputation is the conversation that continues after you leave.

The part of your reputation that matters happens in rooms you are not in. You cannot manage it, correct it, or charm it, which means the only input you have is what you actually did while you were present. Everything else is out of your hands by design.

Rather than trying to shape impressions, focus on being someone the honest version of the conversation would favor. Ask whether the way you handled the last difficult moment would sound good repeated. That is the only lever you have.